The BushidoDevilDog Blog

Holy un-updated blog, Batman!!

2010-12-17T21:52:00.003+09:00

Can't believe I let this thing go for so long...I hate when life interferes with getting on the Innerwebs...! Since the last time I posted I have...

1) Lost my job
2) Got a new job with a whole 2 days to spare on my visa
3) Got headhunted for a new job that I will start next month.
...and I managed to mis-place a girlfriend along the way... :-(

That's about it. This was not the best year I have had, and othe than the Mairne Corps birthday, November especially sucked. But the good news is my new job is going to pay me well enough that I will be looking to pick up a wakazashi early next year. I'll post the pics when I do....

Indonesia/Malaysia in the house...!

2009-11-28T21:27:00.004+09:00

It seems I have acquired few fans...thanks for your interest in my blog! I have been spending a lot of time on FaceBook since signing up for it Sept 1st. But new followers are motivation to get back on here and add new content. Also, I have taken a rest from training the past few months to allow my right shoulder to heal, and it is feeling pretty good now (but still not like it was before) so I have been back into Iaido a bit, and I will be back at Aikikai Hombu next month to train...Ganbarimasu!

Buddha Rocks!

2009-09-01T23:41:00.002+09:00

Some pics I took in July of the stone carvings on Takatori mountain, north of Yokosuka Naval Base. Takatori is a large hill/small mountain not too far from Oppama Station on the Keikyu line. At the top is a wide open area/park that is fairly easy to get to. But there is another path to the top...This one takes you past all the carvings...

...that ???? have put into the shear rock walls that appear to have been the result of extensive mining of the top of the mountain for its massive too-rough-to-be-marble-but-too-hard-to-be-sandstone. This is a nice little hike, sometimes involving pulling yourself up the hill using ropes and chains (sounds kinky ;-)...

...to see the Buddha rocks,

but it is worth it because...

BUDDHA ROCKS!!!

Here's another pic to show how big this thing is....

More pics to come...

A stroll to Kanda Shrine...

2009-07-30T22:49:00.004+09:00

I took these on the 19th right after going to Iaido cutting practice with my girlfriend. I wanted to do some 'mini-exploring' of Tokyo and go to a historical place I have not been to before, so she suggested going to nearby (from the Gyokufu-kai dojo at Kudanshita) Kanda-myouji. Our walk to the shrine took us past this canal(?) river(?) brickwall and train track thingy that I thought was kinda cool...

Then we walked right past one of the Mikoshi (portable shrines)

...that Gyokufu-kai's kaicho Sakaguchi-san carried for the Kanda festival:

...then up to the main part of the shrine.

On either side of the entrance were these statues of Samurai with a full complement of weapons; bow, arrows, and swords, oh my!

It is never a god idea to piss off the Gods, so I made sure to stop by the fountain thingy (Gotta learn the proper name of this) to purify my dirty Gaijin hands and heart (via sipping a bit of it to rinse out one's heathen mouth) with the finest flowing tap water Tokyo has to offer. This is a dragon(!), by the way! I was eye ballin' homeboy up close and personal to try to find a good angle fore the shot, when some oji-san blurted out behind me, "It's dragon!" I'm glad he clarified that for me...I thought I was looking at a life-size statue of Barbara Boxer/Nancy Pelosi.

Ninja lantern!
The character on the right side of this pic is "Nin/Shinobu" - to endure/perserve/steathily enter

A more atristic shot...

"Here they come to snuff the rooster...You know he ain't gonna die...!"

Training at Aikikai Hombu Dojo...

2009-07-24T23:05:00.012+09:00

I have been sporadically training in Aikido since I was first introduced to it in the mid-80s, a couple years before Steven Seagal showed the world how Uber bad-ass the "gentle art" can be. My introduction to Aikido came from a French Yundansha that joined the Karate studio I was training at at the time. We incorporated some of the wrist and arm locks into the style, specifically Ni-kyo:

(image borrowed from the interwebs)

I started training actively with the Aikido club at IUPUI, but my training was infrequent due to part-time jobs, school, or just plain laziness. After getting selected for the JET Program, I was fortunate to be placed in Ota-shi (太田市群馬県), where I had the opportunity to train with Teruo Tsuhiji-sensei.

There are significant differences in the way Aikikai and "Iwama-ryu" (Students of Morihiro Saito-sensei and his students) people train, and I think they both have merits. What I appreciate about my time with Tsuhiji-sensei was a solid grounding in the basics of Hanmi, and training partners that grabbed you like they meant it, and the importance of blending to successfully escape a real grab. I have had far too many partners at Aikikai that grab so wimpy I can (and probably *should* to help expose their openings) pull my hand out of their "grab" and back fist them. I also notice far too many Aikikai people pulling their hand toward themselves when doing basic Tenkan practice. If Aikikai taught the basics better, they would know that the grabbed hand needs (and WILL if the attacker is much stronger) to stay in the spot it is grabbed, and the Tori needs to blend with/at the point of the attacker's grab.

Having said that, Iwama-style Aikido tends to be too static, and rarely did I ever practice at realistic speeds, everything was done super slow to get a good grounding in the basic movements. A solid foundation in basics is a good thing, but can make for some frozen toes when training at this slow pace in the dead of winter in the unheated dojo. The flowing style of Aikikai makes for a hell of a workout, as can be seen by how red my face was after last Saturday's class taught by Watanabe-sensei:

(Not a sunburn, and I wasn't drunk, just well done from training on a hot afternoon at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo/Sauna.)

...and the faster pace is better for getting used to things coming at closer to realistic speed. Different strokes for different folks. Saw this ad for the Hombu dojo in Higashi-Shinjuku station for the recently opened Fukutoshin-line. Its all about the marketing...

Action pics from the 2009 Mugai-ryu Kokusai Taikai...

2009-07-21T23:58:00.014+09:00

I can see it it going to take me a while to post all of them. The standard templates for Blogspot.com suck dog balls. I want to add a custom background. This was very easily done on Photobucket, so I don't see why the can't add the same functionality to Blogspot to allow HTML-tards like myself to customize our pages.

In the meantime...

Seiza...the calm before the storm...

Batto. Cutting gyaku kesagiri; the first cut for the kata Shin (真).

Left kesa-giri...ending cut for Shin.

Pulling the blade from my enemy's chest after giving him a sucking chest wound via Mune-tsuki (=chest stab)

Chiburi...flicking the enemy's blood, guts, snot, and brains from my blade...

Noto and Zanshin. Returning the sword to the Saya, while remaining aware and ready for other enemies.

Extend....

2009-07-14T23:56:00.003+09:00

A recurring theme in my training in Iaido, and one that was also discussed in Aikido as well. Don't hold back, fold, crumble, withdraw....extend your body and your spirit, and own the space/path in front of you...time to train...

Back on the mat...

2009-07-13T23:29:00.007+09:00

After a far too-long injury imposed break, I finally got my ass, and face...and every other bodypart back on the mat to train at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Shinjuku...

Where I was greeted by this rare-for-Tokyo sunset on the Shinjuku skyline:

I can tell already that it is going to take some time before my ankles are used to the stress/pain placed on them from sitting in Seiza for prolonged periods. It sucks getting old....but it feels good to be back in to train. Now if my right shoulder will just hold up, or better yet, get *better* from the 'therapeutic' effects of "knocking the dust off of the joints" that comes from Aikido as O-Sensei used to say.

Speaking of Aikido, here are a couple of pics I took a couple years ago at the 45th Annual Aikido Demonstration:

Kokusai Taikai

2009-07-12T22:17:00.009+09:00

Some pics from the Meishi-ha Mugai-ryu Kokusai Taikai held on July 4, 2009.

Gyokufu-kai group grope... >;-)

Bitch love me...

2009-07-10T23:13:00.008+09:00

...and especially the

.

Of course

...wasn't too pleased about that fact, but I know how to use

...to make him think I am his best buddy.

(Pics from Golden-Gai, Akasaka 2x, Shinjuku)

Ninja night in Akasaka

2009-07-10T01:47:00.007+09:00

I tried to go with my Maiko-san to the Ninja restaurant in Akasaka...but we never found the place. It must have been REALLY well hidden...!! Thanks folks..try the veal..I'll be here all week!

The place lives up to its theme in employing camouflage, deception, and visual illusion to make you see what is not there, which is a restaurant worth what they charge and hype it up to be. I have been there once before, but a second go confirmed my first impression, an overpriced kitschy tourist trap. The food...

(the sashimi on the right is tomato, not tuna!)

(sake and ninja...meat???)

(the sake in the bamboo cups was quite nice)

(this is a salad, not a dessert...more Ninja deception!)

...was decent enough. But the cheese....

(a chest of simulated gold, complete with a plastic lizard guarding it on the rock in the background)

...was a bit over done. Actually, the decor wouldn't have been so bad if they had *done something with it* to make it more interactive/interesting/educational. Basically the place was a regular restaurant wth people dressed as Ninja, but not really doing much of anything Ninja-esque. At least The Lock-Up gives you a crazy guy running around the place once an hour scaring the piss out of the girls that are their with their dates! One dish the was really worth the money was this thing:

... a chocolate and macha thing made to look like Bonsai tree. It looked almost too cool to eat, but eat it we did! Delicious!

Overall, it is a place to take folks that haven't been yet, but there are better theme restaurants in Tokyo. this could be one of them if they just put more thought into how to make a visit there more interactive, educational, and thus interesting.

Engrish the Part 2

2009-07-10T00:14:00.008+09:00

Some refreshingly honest advertising...

After enjoying...

You will probably need to take a...

...or several thousand, as the case may be.

Not Engrish, but I hear this item is very popular in Kabuki-cho's 2-chome:

Some old pics....

2009-07-09T01:47:00.006+09:00

I have a BUNCH of old pics that I have snapped over the years that I figure I should do something with, since I took many of these pics for the express purpose of sharing with others. I will group them together by theme, especially in cases of pics taken at different times and locations, the details of which my already-halfway-senile brain is hard pressed to remember. So to start....Let's very make play the Engrish!!

Restaurant Anytime... unless it is before 9:00 A.M. or after 8:00 PM...in which case you're screwed.

If you get attacked by a "molefter"...

...ask the Doctor to kick his Assy...

Don't push...

2009-06-24T23:56:00.003+09:00

I was told this by a saruriman oji-san on the train this evening. I guess it was OK for him to pig headedly refuse to move a bit so I didn't HAVE to push/lean on him, but not for me to give him a "hint" as to which direction he should move. I guess his need to read his newspaper was more important than everyone else's right to get on the train. I told him to take a step forward (and he would have had more room), but the turd wouldn't budge. So I just leaned the full weight of my left arm/side on his right shoulder. A four inch slide forward with his right leg would have alleviated the need for me to be up his ass, nevermind the fact that when I first got in the spot there was room because the prick wasn't reading the paper. When he started reading he leaned back into me to compensate for the "weight" of those oh-so-heavy sheets of paper. When he wouldn't step forward, I said to him, "Oh..I see...you're stupid, right?" I guess he didn't read my post about "Courtesy". He showed none to those around him that were trying to deal with the overcrowded train.

Birthday...

2009-06-22T00:49:00.003+09:00

Mine was on Saturday...and is the best I have had in quite some time. I spent quality time with a lovely lady, a RARE Japanese lass that actually APPRECIATES and has an active interest in the great aspects of traditional Japanese culture! Japanese people of the Gen-X generation that know Japanese culture...what will they think of next?!?

My friends M and J hooked a brotha' up with their greatly appreciated gifts, a good cigar and a manly-man lighter to fire it up with! Thanks Gents!

誠 - Sincerity

2009-05-29T00:50:00.003+09:00

I watched a video on Youtube (=PKLPplI5xo4) of a supposed test for Shodan for the style of Karate I trained in when I was in High School/early 20's. Having been in Japan for over 10 years and having access to legitimate masters, I was shocked, amused, and disgusted all at the same time from watching the video. What I thought was "the real deal" uber-traditional school is so far off the mark that it is laughable. It is not only that they don't know, they don't know that they don't know. Probably 95% of American martial arts studios might as well be dance studios, because they are teaching the moves without teaching the culture/thinking that gave birth to the moves. They are teaching brain surgery without teaching their students basic first aid first. The basic fundamental I see lacking is sincerity.

There are some serious, dedicated warriors in America, but the bread and butter students that pay for the "dojo's" strip-mall rent lack the level of sincerity that a typical Japanese person has. Part of this is of course cultural. Being raised in the same culture that produced the art you want to train in naturally helps one understand the core philosophies that are the real lesson of any art; courtesy, respect for others, justice, etc. However, most American "Sensei" have none of this background of understanding, which results in crap in, crap out.

Specific examples of this lack of sincerity in training/teaching include:
- The lack of precise focused techniques.
- The lack of the combat mindset in the techniques being taught, and the way the students perform them. Suzy Soccermom is basically doing martial-esque dancing 2/3 times a week thinking it is going to enable her to stop a rapist. When I started with this particular chain of studios, we were REQUIRED to choke someone out and BE CHOKED OUT for 1st(?) Brown Belt. Now, I have heard from my brother that they don't even do light contact sparring anymore, which means they are training in a striking art, but they don't actually strike anyone. I sincerely hope this works out on the street...
- The lack of the cultural customs and courtesies that even non-martial artists know, i.e. don't sit on your ass when talking to you instructor

I could go on and on, but the point is this: The true benefit of traditional martial arts ARE the TRADITIONS that they were developed in/with. Without a sincere attempt to learn, understand, and teach these, the martial arts become no more than teaching a hairless monkey how to kick and punch...insincerfe teaching and training leads to insincere people, and the world certainly has enough of those already...

礼 - Courtesy; how to win by losing

2009-04-17T23:18:00.010+09:00

"Samurai have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. A Samurai is courteous even to his enemies...A Samurai is not only respected for his strength in battle, but also by his dealing with other men." **

I saw two guys arguing on the platform as I got off at my stop on Wednesday. More correctly, one guy was yelling at the other guy about whatever wrong, real or imagined, that he had suffered, while the older of the two basically looked at him, with a "You are such a dumbass..." look on his face.

It instantly reminded me of a maxim that is commonly quoted in realation to all martial arts in Japan, "武道は礼に始まり礼に終る" = "The martial arts begin and end with courtesy". In riding the trains here in Japan, I see it on a daily basis. The customs and courtesies of Japan are disappearing, and the presence of Western-style egos and an undeserved sense of self-importance are rising, which has led to more and more displays like I saw on Wednesday. Something that I have learned from living here is that, no matter if they are absolutely 100% right, the louder person is always seen as the asshole. Getting angry/pissed off earns you contempt, not respect, no matter how "right/righteous" you may be...isn't that right Christian Bale?

This concept is something I sorely wish the rest of the world would learn, and I hope Japan doesn't forget. Anger and ego never help in a conflict, politeness does. The guy on the platform could have "won" his argument by being calm and rational, instead of the loudmouthed dick he looked like to me. If he had let the other guy run his mouth, he would have won by letting people think, as I did, that the other guy screaming and yelling was in the wrong.

Win by "losing"...by losing your ego, by losing your need to prove your point/your righteousness, by losing your anger...

But of course this does not change the fact that some people just need a good ass kicking to 'enlighten' them... >:-)

** from The Last Samurai DVD

Focus...

2009-04-14T20:49:00.004+09:00

極め ('kime'; pronounced "key-meh"), is a Japanese word that is often used in Japanese martial arts, and in which context it is usually translated as "focus"; ie the exact spot a particular punch/kick/attack is focused. However, the verb it comes from, 極める (kimeru), has a MUCH broader meaning: --> http://eow.alc.co.jp/%e6%a5%b5%e3%82%81%e3%82%8b/UTF-8/?ref=sa
It can mean "to master" "to assess" "to achieve" "to surpass" "to exceed" "to go far beyond"...

With the latter meanings in mind, I intend to both "focus" and "go beyond" what I have been doing up to now with this blog. Lack of focus/purpose results in lack of action, which can be seen in my sporadic posting. But after recently finding various blogs being written by non-Japanese living in Japan, most of which have a fairly specific focus, I realize I want to do likewise So, the main focus of this blog will be about training in modern Japan in ancient arts of combat, and how the old ways are still relevant to the new ways/society of today. 頑張ります！

Grandmother's Valentines day advice...

2009-02-14T18:08:00.001+09:00

"Just love' em and leave 'em...!" - My 90 year old grandmother >:-)

2009-02-03T21:10:00.007+09:00

Even MORE pics!!!

Shinken (real) top; mugito (alumi/zinc) bottom

Closeup of mekugi (pin), fuchi (collar behind the -->), tsuba (guard)

Gold Dragon menuki

2009-02-03T00:49:00.006+09:00

More Pics:

Tsuba, Habaki, & Hamon 1

Hamon 2

Hamon 3

Hamon 4

Hamon 5 & Kissaki

....and just to prove that it is actually in *my* possession...Get the point?

A dream achieved...my REAL katana

2009-02-02T00:21:00.008+09:00

After wanting one for 28 years, I am finally the proud owner of my own real-deal, 100% authentic katana (AKA a shinken --> literally meaning "real sword"), AKA the sword/soul of the Samurai. After Saturday's (1/31) massive "New Year's practice" with all the groups that fall under the Meishi-ha of Mugai-ryu Iaido, the only other two Japan based white boys in the organization and I dragged our asses out to Machida-shi to Hataya-sensei's sword shop.

Hataya-sensei is a shihan in Toyama-ryu, a different style/organization from the one I train in, but one that many of our people cross-train with because they are heavily into cutting. Hataya-sensei is The Man to go to if you are in the market for a sword to be used for serious training. A lot of other sword shops are mainly focused on selling the uber-beautiful 'art' swords; the ones that are nice to look at, but are too high-class to actually use for kata training/cutting practice. It is the difference between dating the stuck-up prom-queen, and dating the fun, out-going chick down the street. The prom-queen will stroke your ego, but the other girl will stroke your...>;-)

I had gone there a couple weeks ago with (kokusai-bu) Bucho and Elvis and had looked at a few swords, but he has so many, it would literally take all day to see/handle them all. Fortunately, he lists all of his available blades on his web page...I take this as a sign of Hachiman's assistance in my quest. I checked out the specs of the blades, and wrote down the stock #s of the ones I was interested in. My requirements/preferences include:
- Length: no shorter that 70cm, no longer that 73cm
- weight: minimum of about 750g, no more that about 1100g
- NO SHORTENED BLADES!! This abomination was usually done because the bureaucrat Samurai of the Bakufu found the length of their swords got in the way of their indoor paper pushing. I find any such deviation from the sword's original purpose-built design unforgiveable. This. is. Spartaaaaah!!!
- No Hi in the blade. Called a "blood-groove" by know-nothings, Hi is carved into a blade to lighten it or for decoration, neither of which I particularly desire
- a blade over 100 years old, because it is over 100 years old
- decent furniture/fittings. Not too plain, but not too guady either

Well, list in hand, I went there, and walked out the door with this blade:

Here's some pics:

The sword bag and cord that Hataya-sensei threw is as a 'freebie' --> which they call "sabisu" ~> 'service' here in Japan.

My new toy!!

With my zinc/aluminum mugito in my sword stand, a fan for decoration, and a book of Soto-shu Buddhist chants. --> The founder of Mugai-ryu was also Buddhist priest, so many of us also practice Zazen.

I finally need the second sword rack! Steel sword is on the top with the sageo that was also a freebie, zinc/aluminum sword is on the bottom (Sorry Hoss, there's a new sherrif in town...)

A close up of one of the two golden dragon menuki. They look identical, but are slightly different. This has the dragon holding a ball/jewel(?), in the one on other his hand?..paw?* is empty.
("Do dragons have large talons?")

More sword pics to follow... -->This is a also goo training for using my other recent purchase, my HD Sony camera (see below/the archives). I need to really pay attention to the depth of field of the close ups...it makes all the difference between a great shot and garbage.

New year, New Goals

2009-01-01T16:44:00.004+09:00

Injuries to my back and shoulder seriously hindered my training goals for Iaido and (especially) Aikido, but both feel better, so hopefully I will be able to accomplish more in both areas this year.

New dojo...

2008-10-16T03:33:00.009+09:00

Went to check out the new Kudanshita dojo on Monday. I got there too late to train :-(, plus had plans to meet other friends later, so I just bummed around waiting...

...for Elvis and the others to finish expressing their autistic..er..artistic talent through paintng the sign....

...when I noticed this at the bottom of the board:

(300)

I take this as a sign from the Good King

...to get my ass in and train more, which is exactly what I plan to do now that my injured right shoulder seems to be getting better..!

2008-10-13T01:47:00.001+09:00

3 cuts, 1 clusterf**k

2008-10-04T23:23:00.006+09:00

Well...after having only *half* of this video show up on Youtube, no matter how many times I tried to upload it in its entirety, I finally fixed the problem. I tried using the media-convert.com site to go from the 3GP format to WMV, but there was *no* audio for the second half of the clip. I don't know why it was doing this, maybe because there is very little audio until the very end when the camerman says, "..and Cut! (...because that sucked ass!!)" but I have fixed it by finding a free conversion program on the web, Mobile Media Converter. This fixed the problem, so now everyone can laugh and make fun of my piss-poor cutting!

The fix for this video came about from my recent interest/fascination/obsession with making and editing my own videos. When I was back home in Indy this summer, I had a friend hook me up with ordering this High Definition Sony camera:

..througn the 'net, and had him send it to me here in Japan. (They were on backorder so there was a delay in shipping. Despite it being a Japanese brand, I was able to get it about $500 cheaper in the States...the days of getting "great deals" on Japanese electronics *in Japan* are long gone. The best deals are now found on the Internet, not on the streets of Akihabara.

Of course in our brave new world of ever-improving technology, my ultimate ass-kicker PC that I built 4 years ago is now the ass-kickee. Its Intel P4 3.0Ghz Cpu/2GB RAM is woefully inadequate for editing high definition video, which is probably the most demanding, CPU and RAM intensive application for home PCs. So I had to build a new PC to edit the HD footage. I also wanted to add effects and make my vids look as professional as possible, so I had the same friend order the Adobe CS3 suite of software using the education discount they have available...saved me about $1000!! (Thanks J!) All of this has finally come together the past couple of weeks as I have gotten my new PC up and running and I made my first "movie" this weekend. Using Windows Movie Maker, Photoshop, and Flash, I put together a short slideshow of party pics of my me and friends taken over the past 5 years in Japan, accompanied to the song Good Riddance by Greenday.

With all these new toys at my fingertips, I decided to try and fix my first video, which was taken at my second ever test cutting practice in Shinjuku. A download and a format conversion later, and I am golden! So hopefully this blog will actually start to have postings and *content*...what a concept!!

10 years in Japan....

2008-07-28T00:36:00.005+09:00

...as of July 26th, 2008. What have I learned in 10 years of being here? More Japanese...more martial arts...and here recently...and an even greater appreciation for each second of life that we have.
The irony of martial arts is that in training to learn ways to take life in a split second, it gives one a greater appreciation of our lives, our health, our friends/family/training partners, etc.

Life's short, folks...play hard!

Sunday's cutting practice...

2008-05-13T01:19:00.002+09:00

Video fixed!!! See above...

Pulp Lion

2008-05-06T01:40:00.001+09:00

Most YouTube dubs are crap, but this one was pretty good/well synchronized...

Weeds....

2008-05-02T00:41:00.004+09:00

Saw signs posted about this time last year around the main intersection I live near. They all pointed in the direction of one of the local temples, but with no indication as to what the event was. Got off my ass and took a look on Tuesday...took a few pics...

Da' new ride...

2008-04-26T19:18:00.002+09:00

Just got back from starting the paperwork to acquire my newest toy:

After 10 years and owning 3.75* shitmobiles (1 Mazda, 3 Toyotas) here in Japan (nevermind the shitmobiles I owned in the States...), I have finally acquired my 'Dream Car'.

[You hear that, New Car...? I am kissing your ass already, so you better not fucking: blow a piston, then a radiator (my Okinawa-bought Mazda Cosmo); throw the drive belt, have a hole in your muffler, then blow a head gasket(?? or a $imilar expen$ive problem, my Toyota Soarer); suddenly decide not allow the heat/AC fan to blow on the High setting, then blow a head ga$ket (Supra); never have a working AC, or tread on the tires, or a back seat that any one other than Mini-Me...

...could possibly be comfortable in, then have your CV joint boot$ $tart to $plit(my soon to be ex-Cynos.]

The New Bushido Devidog-mobile seems to pretty much have everything I want/need in a car. Age, maturity, common sense, and skiing has steered me away from psuedo-sports cars (my Soarer and turbo-charged Supra). I want a ride that I can load up my friends and their gear and take road trips to hit the awesome slopes and onsens of Japan, and not get stuck in the snow. Also, the rear cargo area will allow me to haul my barbecue to cook outs, gear for camping, etc., or even use it for some cash on the side. People (especially us damn 'feriners') that sell or want to buy used TV's, refrigerators, etc. (half sized reefers are popular here due to the matchbox-sized apartments), often can't move then (no car), so perfectly good stuff gets thrown in the garbage, a damn waste, and a possible source of easy cash for a gaijin with a SUV.

Other selling points for me were:
- Low Kilos for its age. My limit was 60,000 Kms. It looks like it has barely done 5,000 Kms. The interior is damn near in new condition. Your average Japanese car owner takes WAY better care of their rides than your typical American. I didn't notice any cigarette burns in the seats, McDonald's milkshake stains in the carpet, etc. I probably should have checked the upholstery more thoroughly, but the driver's seat(=the most used seat) was immaculate, so I doubt I will find any major flaws elsewhere.
- One owner. See above.
- Still has Shaken. This would have been an additional 100,000+ yen to add to the price. >:-O
- ABS/airbag(s) My face is a testament as to why airbags are a nice thing to have.
- Comes with a navigation system. Not a deal breaker, because as a heterosexual male, I have the god-like ability to *read a map*, but it is a nice Buck Rodgers kind of toy to have.
- It's a Honda. = Keep's its resale value.
- Comes with a ski rack!! --> This, plus the...
- Rear tinted windows ...were signs from The Baby Jesus saying, "YO! Dickhead!! This be yo' ride, playah!! You bes' be buyin' dat' shizznit wit' da' quickness fo' some othah' G come along and gank yo' shit! The Baby Jesus has spoken....BIIIIAA-AAATTCCHH!"

So now, I have to track down my landlord, get them to certify that I have a parking space, get/take that to the police, get a copy of my hanko(personal seal) registration, transfer the money, and get the completed paperwork back to the car dealer, and then I may finally be able to roll around da' hood in a car I am not embarrased to be seen in... Should take about a week for all the paperwork to be completed before I will be able to drive it off the lot... I SOOOoooo look forward to being able listen to *my* music, not whatever happens to be on the radio at the time, which, in the Tokyo area, is 98% brain-cell/will-to-live killing inane drivel. All of my previous cars in Japan had shitty tape decks that weren't worth replacing, given the car's other issues.

I can picture it now...cruising down the road in the fast approaching summertime with some Led Zeppelin jamming in the CD player and the AC blasting, keeping me as cool as Vanilla Ice! >;-P

It's gonna be sweet!!

*(The Supra was a decent ride for awhile, I just didn't feel like paying the ￥60,000-70,000 to fix the head gasket, plus another ￥100,000 for the Shaken, it was better to get another car. It is the same situation with my Cynos now: fix AC ￥80,000-100,000 + CV joint boots ￥60,000 + Shaken due in July ￥100,000~120,000 = Buy another car, you fool!!)

My back is back...

2008-03-16T16:44:00.000+09:00

After three months of varying levels of pain and mobility, my back seems to have decided to get with the program and allow me to start training again. Per my own and other's advice, I have eased back into Iaido, and am feeling pretty good, although my back is still tight/has a "not quite 100% healed, but I'm willing to let you walk again" feeling to it. The constant pain is gone, but still has periods where it will ache a bit just to let me know to not get to feeling too froggy just yet. But if I be careful and avoid doing stuff like lugging 32" vacuum tube 30Kg+ TV's up 5 flights of stairs...It should be OK in another couple of weeks.

I #%$ miss doing Aikido!! Got to do 3 minutes of Shihonage on Elvis at Iaido training today, and IMMEDIATELY felt more centered/focused after our little demo. The end/start of the fiscal year in Japan is April 1st, so right now us "salarymen" are busy as hell w/ the inevitable BUTTLOAD of work that gets piled on most people this time each year. I'll be glad when April gets here...the volume of work should drop off dramatically, and I can engage in the ancient Japanese tradition of "drink yourself to the point where Janet Reno looks shaggable" otherwise lknow as Hanami/cherry blossum viewing...

New Year, New stuff....

2008-01-07T23:32:00.000+09:00

I made a New Year's resolution a long time ago to quit making New Year's resolutions. I am proud to say that I have stuck to that one...! >:-)
Instead, I have a list of Stuff That Would Be Pretty Cool To Do This Year:

Heal my %$#&*@# back!!!! I did something to it in mid December, and haven't been able to train fer shit since then. Was literally reduced to crawling on all fours to go squeeze the lemon....
San-kyuu, maybe even Ni-kyu in Aikido
Shodan in Iaido
Start my own business, or at least a side job with the goal of working for myself and managing my own time = more time to train and...
Travel to Australia, one of two places in the world I must go before I die (Japan being the other)
Get home during the summer
Post something that may actually be *interesting* on this blog
Teach myself to play a few tunes on the Guitar by way of the lessond available on YouTube

Happy New Year!

My 'Weird Al'/Madonna day was...

2007-11-20T00:46:00.000+09:00

on Sunday, 'cause I was:

"Like a surgeon, cuttin' for the very first time..."

Had my first go at cutting with a REAL Nihon-to, a Koto-period (pre 1500's) blade that was just barely long enough to avoid being called a wakizashi. Naturally my first cut was a complete abortion, but by the end of the 2-hour session I was making fairly consistent clean cuts. I am hooked; I have found my new drug. Both the Baby Jesus and Buddy Gettan say that cutting shit with blades that are older than my country of birth is TOTALLY DOUBLE GONZO, LIVE AT BUDOKAN, COOL AS HELL!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Blog...

2007-11-12T22:48:00.000+09:00

Everybody and there dog has a blog, so this fossil might as well give it a go....
As you may surmise from the name, I am a former U.S. Marine ('88-93 active '96-'98 Reserves), and am trying to follow the path of the warriors that have preceded me down the superior path/lifestyle that warriorship encompasses. More to follow later...just want to post something to get the ball started...