Winter Break Starts.... A FEW DAYS AGO!

Evening people -- well, it's evening here. I've been busy and that's a good thing.

Last weekend was a weekend to remember. It was Greg's birthday and we celebrated at Gut's Soul -- an izakaiya that we frequent often and it is amazing. Getting pretty wasted, a few brave souls decided to try our hand at Roppongi. Roppongi is the foreigner club district and it notoriously shady and sktechy. There were four of us and we made it to the club (GASPANIC, I think) and it was really fun! I danced for hours to great (American) music! One of my companions noted was amazed that I danced for as long as I did -- coming back after a bit and to his amazement I was still there. After a while, realizing we certainly had missed the last train, I went up to meet with the guys as they had moved on. They were in a Karaoke place, very fancy, with a trio of ladies. This was the beginning of the downfall... I arrived to the near end of a two-hour session. (It was around 4:45am) and plans were being made. We walked out of the club only to be played. Long story short, I ended up having to pay 15,000 yen (around $180 USD) for karaoke. I've been paid back, so no worries there. Lesson learned though... Stay in the club till dawn. Haha...

Yesterday was a good day. A few friends and I traveled outside of Tokyo to Kawasaki to see Noah's girlfriend's Dance performance. It was quite an adventure -- a bit pricy, but fun. We arrived in Kawasaki to be greeted by a Krispy Kreme -- we somehow denied the urge to enter, all the while screaming "見えない！見えない！" meaning "I can't see! I can't see!" We walked outside of the JR station to be greeted by a tree. This tree was alive! It even had a friend... Any-way... We arrive at the club and purchase our tickets. We get our beers and walk into the club. Now, this was a very unique experience. This club was huge and everyone was sitting -- that's right, sitting -- on the floor. Some in seiza (sitting on one's knees) others sat cross-legged, but we were all sitting. In America, everyone would be standing and pushing people out of the way to get closer. This experience, everyone queued up and sat. When people got up, we scooted forward. It was a pretty cool thing to see. (Not really, but I found it fascinating.) The performers were quite good, the DJs not so much. It's interesting to see Japanese girls act ghetto. And by interesting, I mean hot. During Sophia's Modern Dance performance we shouted every girl's name in the club -- we had a list. It was fun! Haha...

After the performance, the Sophia girls went on their own club thing, and us guys were left to wonder an arcade. We found a table flipping game -- Noah did quite well, I have video and may upload it later -- and a punching game with real boxing gloves! I went first and did okay, I beat my opponent. The next two fellows punched harder than I did, but that's what happens when they out weigh you by 10 kilos. Noah decided not to punch the machine... We ate at a true Italian Pizza restaurant (this place was like a Little Italy) and it was delicious... We arrived home not too late... Not too late to try our hand at a snack bar...

This snack bar ranks up there with Japanese experiences. Well, experiences in Japan. My god it was awesome. Noah, Alex and I headed to a snack bar which they were familiar with; however, the bar was closed because it was the Emperor's Birthday. (Happy Birthday!) We walked around a bit and found one with no seating charge and we entered. We ended up staying there for over 2 hours. We drank beer and sang Karaoke. Now, let me explain a snack bar. A snack bar is a small -- seats 6 -- bar where a hostess serves a beer, liquor, and snacks. Normally, do to their size, the only allow locals and familiar faces in -- No Foreigners! This one, however, welcomed us with open beer! There was one other person in their besides us, a 30 year old Japanese guy. We, with the hostess, shot the shit and sang Karaoke. This bar had a fascination with Studio Ghibli, with Kiki's Delivery Service stuff everywhere. (And a Crystal Skull made out of aluminum foil.) It was an fantastic...

Today, I went to get some papers sorted out at the Health Insurance place -- Thanks Kaz! It was taxing, but rewarding. If approved, my health care will be completely free and the government will actually give me money. Like, crazy... I'm moving here... Haha... (Maybe!) Random picture time!

Hachiko from Shibuya Station

The International Pole-Dancing Competiton and Nikko

I've had quite the exciting time since my last post. Two things of note, I got a gig working at the International Pole-Dancing Competition and went to a village north of Tokyo, Nikko.

The IPC was amazing. A few Koganeiates decided to hop on the bandwagon going around the University's gajin to help out with the International Pole-Dancing Competition. We were to be paid and have access to the after-party. A good deal for sure, we thought. We had no idea. What an amazing time! Upon our arrival, we were greeted and hurriedly rushed into the hall. We had no real idea what our job would be, we knew vaguely that we would be handling "security", thus we were filled with anxiousness to find out exactly how we were to be spending the next 8 hours. Quickly I was granted a somewhat authoritative position -- I was closest to the manager at the appropriate time. I learned that me and a team of two others who had yet to arrive were to guard the elevator and make sure no one was to enter said elevator without a pass. The other Koganeiates I tagged along with were taxed with the duty of VIP guards. We arrived at 16:00 and the show didn't start until 19:00, so we helped get the event to set-up. In the interim, we got shirts!
The event began and we were in our said positions. I quickly realized that my floor for which I was guarding the elevator on was insanely boring. No one, and I mean NO ONE, came on the floor intentionally. I took this as sign from Shiva to go and check on my Koganeiates. In doing this, I heard a familiar tune coming from the hall. It sounded as if Solid Snake from Metal Gear was climbing a Metal Pole. (You see what I did there?) It was "Metal Gear Saga" from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It was freaking awesome. I ran into the VIP to get a better listen and enjoyed the music. I should also point out that the first performer did her dance to the opening of Suikoden III. The performers was amazing -- built like houses, for sure. The women were muscular and the men were flamboyant -- one things is for sure: the all knew to how to handle the pole.

Overall, the event was amazing and we were paid to experience it. My Koganei- buddies even met a famous author and were so delighted to have done so. The after-party was to be the next day and, from what I heard, was quite fun. I passed out beforehand due to having only got 4 hours of sleep because the day after the IPC I had a Doctors appointment at 8:45 and a presentation at 13:30 in Post-Colonialism.

The following weekend me and three others went to Nikko. Nikko is a village to the north of Tokyo and is famous for its shrines and the tomb of Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. We woke up at 6:20 and hoped on the 8:15 train for Nikko. After arriving we headed put for the Shrines and we enjoyed them to the fullest. The most problematic thing about Nikko, besides the tourists, is that EVERYTHING costs money. You want to see Shrine 3-B9j4-squared? That'll be 200 yen, please. Yikes. Luckily, we had master planner Zach who found out for 4000 yen ($50) that we get access to the Temples and Shrines, Bus and Train fare included. I definitely recommend it to all who are ever in Tokyo to visit Nikko. We had lunch at a quaint noodle shop off the beaten path -- not really, it was the main road, but no tourists were there. Afterward, we wondered Nikko and before we departed we decided to cheeky and see the Nikko Waterfalls. Problem being, it was 2 km away and we were rapidly running out of sunlight. More so, those 2 km were all uphill. We made it, barely. My camera had difficulty capturing the falls, but Zach got quite the nice picture. Now, the next problem. Walking down a bloody mountain in the dark with only a 45 minutes to make it to the train station that was 4-5 kilometers away. We, being mighty Koganeiates, made the journey with time to spare. Exhausted, we relaxed on the train ride back trying to catch up on sleep.

That's been my weekends these past two weeks. On top of that, I've had a few quizzes and tests and designing a "hoodie" for SSMAA. All-in-all, a very exciting time. I'm looking forward to Christmas and the New Year and will miss everybody terribly. But, thankfully, a good number of the Koganeiates will be hanging around so I won't be lonely.

Until next time!

-Gregor the Wizard

Koganei's Lads versus that other university that a few stops away....

Yesterday, more specifically last night, was one of the better days of my life. Right up there with receiving my Instructorship in jeet kune do and hearing that I would be going to Japan. Although I don't remember the beginning parts of it, I believe I had lunch at Matsuia, the night was just as memorable.

After eating dinner at the dorm -- some fried chicken saute -- the plan was to head to a nomikai at Za Watami. Well, unfortunately that didn't pan out (or was it fortunate?). Us Koganeiates being a resourceful creature, much like the coogar, we are an aggressive sort when it comes to our alcohol. Some of the Koganeiates have the elusive title as "Lad" which is easily gained and stripped. Any-who, us Lads went to the local store and purchased copious amounts of beer and headed back to the dorm for some drinking games. At first, we only played card-based drinking games -- Pyramid and Mates. But, our esteemed elder Koganeiate broke out the "Jumbling Tower." This game is meant to be played in a co-ed environment, but us Lads weren't going to be stopped. Some rules of the "make-out with meg" sort were changed to make "meg" drink a shot. Now, this shot was of the most peculiar sort -- it was paint thinner. They say it was something else, but it tasted like Jet-engine fuel -- or, worse still, Grapa! We began playing the Jenga-wannabe game. The first few turns had two people switching pants. One Lad ended up only in his boxers. This game can't be changed, for Lads were involved. To alter the rules would prove unsportsmanlike. By the end of the game, no one had pants on. It was quite gay. Actually, it wasn't even quite. It was straight-out gay.

After that game ended, us more-inebriated Lads went to a party at another University. The party was "shit," as us Lads began describing it. However, us Koganeiates being resourceful we made the best of it. And by best of it, I mean getting absolutely smashed. Haha. We invariably missed the last train and had to get a cab. I met people at this party, but hell if I can remember who the are now.

Overall, a fantastic night. One I'll remember for quite some time...

These past few weeks, and what a few weeks they were...

My Dad and Rob came to visit me in Japan for the American holiday known as Thanksgiving. The hypocritical holiday where the Indigenous people saved the pilgrims from starving to death before driving the indigenous people from their land. Regardless, it is a holiday where you are to be with family and has transitioned into "togetherness time" rather than nonsensical "Thanks for giving" I've always interpreted it to be.

They arrived about two weeks ago and departed Tuesday, for a 10-day excursion into Japan's mega-metropolis. Unfortunately for me, I had school and mid-terms to deal with. So, I couldn't accompany them on every adventure. But, the expeditions I did manage to tag-along on were stellar. We traveled to farthest reaches of Tokyo -- even left it once! Many a Shrines were visited and Buddhas praised to. Witnessed a Shinto wedding and a Buddhist funeral, both of which were fascinating. My favorite night with them had to be at a Yakiniku -- you cook your own food on a tiny grill in the table -- called Gut's Soul. We drank together and ate together in a glorious appreciation to the Tobehodai and Nomihodai (All you can eat and drink) spirits! Our Shintoism would be proud.

Midterms are nearly done. I have one left to do, and it's a presentation. My presentation is on post-war Chinese sentiments on Japan -- I'm using Ip Man and Fist of Fury as evidence! I did fairly poorly on my Japanese midterm -- I still passed. In America, I aced the hell out of my Japanese tests and finals. Here, I'm barely able to maintain B's. Now, I know that may sound elitist of me; let me assure you that is not my intention. I work quite hard at attaining my grades. The level of difficulty at Sophia in their Japanese program seems high, and from what I've been told it is. I feel as if my Japanese is so inadequate. Like, I can understand what people are saying to me, but sometimes I'm a bit slow on the answer -- if I answer at all. More so, people who ask questions in class seem to be able to just ask in Japanese. Now, I understand their question, but asking it in Japanese... Man. I was complimented by a fellow Koganeiate (Koganei + Dorm-mate = Koganeiate) that my Japanese was "one of the better one's in the dorm." I hear this and think it insincere, only because there are people so much better than me at it! I know that certainly isn't his intention -- and his Japanese is freaking great, so I hold it in high regard when I heard the compliment -- but that's just my thoughts on it. I do know that my Japanese IS getting better, and the stuff I'm learning in class I can apply where-ever. The midterm definitely lit a fire under my ass, I will not "barely" pass -- I will assuredly pass.

With midterms (mostly) done and Dad & Rob leaving, things have returned to normalcy. I was beginning to miss my room. I kept thinking of my room as "Home." That's a good thing, readers. A good thing. I'm comfortable here. And my "loneliness" is subsiding. I no longer feel as if I missed important male-bonding time due to my hospitalization. This all sounds rather "emo" but I assure you I am quite happy! Today, even, I put on my clothes feeling good. Traversed Shibuya and Ochanomizu with a smile on my face.

This post has been rather deep. But, it's invariably my blog and that's what's on my mind. Deep sociological self-examination (not the good kind, either). That was a masturbation joke, not an emo-philosophical rambling, haha.

I'm going to be launching a Flicker account soon and I'll be posting pictures there. I'll set up the link in due time.

Until next time,

-Gregor

November 15th -- there's something significant about this day...

That significance escapes me at the moment. Regardless, here we are in another installment of Gregor vs Japan.

This entry is heavy in Martial Arts -- philosophy and comparison. If this doesn't interest you and you say "tl;dr", just read the first two lines past this point. That's about all that's going on in Ed's Japan. I'm healthy, happy, and doing as best as I can at school. I'll post some pictures up later this week.

Since my return to normalcy, it's been quite boring... except for one thing. I am now taking Karate. Specifically Chitou-Ryuu Karate here at Sophia University's Karate-bu, or Karate Club. It contrasts vastly with Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai, the two "stand-up" styles I have become accustomed to. However, the similarities are also vast. Several pieces of footwork and punches are one in the same. The principles behind the moves are different, as well. In my short experience of the art, we focus on hard techniques for tournaments and kata. The practice is two-hours long and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays. We stretch for the first 15 minutes or so, then we warm-up with kicks. My first contention with Karate is the positioning of the hands -- if this were a kickboxing fight, I'd be knocked out cold. But, it's not. It's point-karate. That's what you have to take into account when you train various Martial Arts is their context.

Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee's creation, is a self-defense martial art focusing on countering with direct moves that either intercepts an opponent's attack or negates the opponent altogether. Jeet Kune Do evolved from Bruce's personal research and originated in Wing Chun, a Chinese Martial Art. Adding in elements from other arts and removing from others, Bruce created the most complete martial art for his time. The idea of the art is to protect oneself -- unconditionally; and, thus, it can be brutal. Eye gouges, joint-manipulation, and groin shots are the recipie of Jeet Kune Do. Of course I'm over simplifying things. Bruce created Jeet Kune Do to be the Anti-Karate. More so, the Anti-Dogmatic Martial Art of Martial Arts. A "process" he called it, making it capable of evolving and adapting to change and the times. Differing from the stagnation of other arts, JKD could adapt and change -- and so should the Martial Artist. Lee called Karate tournaments "organized despair" for the lack of realism that the arts were espousing at the time. In my opinion, Jeet Kune Do was designed specifically to be counter-intuitive to Karate's Tao (Karatedo in Japanese).

A rather strong statement coming from a guy who's taken Karate for three-weeks. But, here's the kicker: I love it. It differs greatly from the dogma I've heard of in the States. Perhaps it is the style, or maybe my fellow Karateka (practitioner), that make it different. Instead of pulling punches, these guys really hit each other. My first night, I was privy to a practice Tournament spar. The Senpai's (senior's) competed against each other in a psuedo-tournament scenario. One guy got a bloody nose -- the bloodiest I've seen. A black belt competed in and dominated in the sparring matches, his footwork was far superior to the others and allowed to make angles and score a point. 

Point Karate is very different from Kickboxing. Every time a point is scored, you reset and start from the center. The first to accumulate the most points wins. Quite simple, but completely alien to me. In Muay Thai, there is a time limit and when you hit, you hit some more. There are no breaks. You fight till time runs out or the other person quits -- either by choice or consciousness. So, frankly, Point Karate is not what I'm used to and it will take awhile. My hands automatically come to the kickboxing rest position and not where they're supposed to be. My body-shots look more like a boxer's than a Karateka's. It'll take some getting used to.

That being all said and done. I'm looking to train MMA here. I've heard from the grapevine that the Judo club focuses more on Sport Judo and I'm not really interested in that. A believe I have found an MMA gym that offers a competitive student discount and classes everyday and at good times. It is in Nakao, Tokyo which is a few stops up the line for me; so I won't have to pay any extra for transportation. The only problem is cost. I don't have a lot of money, so I'm going to have to wait till January to start. I'll continue to do Karate while I'm here in Japan, but I need more than 9 hours a week of training, I need around 40 to stay happy. I can't wait.

My next post will be more about Japan and how I relate to it, I promise. But, I've waiting to talk about me doing Karate since I started. I'm at a crossroads with my future. I don't really know what I want to do with my life, I have so many options and can't decide the path best suited for me. It's problematic for sure. That'll be the bread-and-butter of my next post coming by the end of the week -- I hope.

Until next time!

-Gregor

The Return

So, finally, I have returned to a somewhat normal life here in Japan. Today was the first day of school since my release from the hospital. The reason for such a large gap in time is because of the Matsuri, or festival, that was going on around campus -- that and it was culture day yesterday (I guess).

I woke up, on time, and managed to get downstairs for some breakfast and managed to make it on the train the starts at our station right when the doors opened, so I got a seat -- quite nice for my inaugural ride. This train departs Musashi-Koganei (the station closest to the dormitory) around 08:15ish, we arrive at Yotsuya (the station across the way from our school) about 5-10minutes before 09:00. It's my new favorite train, haha.

Upon arrival to the University, I manage to forget where my class was. I made it to the classroom in time only to find out that it had been canceled. Oh, man. I could have been sleeping! Oh well. I go to the Lounge on the first floor and study Japanese to try and catch up. I listen to music and enjoy my hour and a half of studying to the best of my ability. Soon, I arrive at my Japanese class to a test! Nothing like a warm welcome with a test.

I did the best I could, most of it was okay. I know I botched the part about Taxi's. After class, I speak to the professor about my absenteeism. She, following guidelines, informs me that I cannot make up any unit tests that I missed (2) or quizzes (4). Also, my participation grade is forfeited (5% of my final grade). Wow. So, basically, what I am being told is that the highest grade I can make in this class is a C. Fucking fantastic. An excused absence or not, these are the guidelines of the Japanese department of Sophia. There is pretty much nothing I can do -- or so I thought, keep reading and find out.

Dejected, I go to the conbini (the new name for the convenience store) and buy an unhealthy lunch. I return to the aforementioned lounge and enjoy lunch with my Koganei buddies Noah, John, and Jean-Claude discussing the flags of the Victoria Revolutionaries -- WE BUILT THIS CITY!

My next class is Post-War Japan, by far my favorite class. The instructor is able to keep me interested and captivated, even while discussing theory. After class he asked me if I could meet him at 17:00 at his office to discuss my absenteeism. "Great" I thought, "hopefully this will go better than Japanese..." Class ended at 15:00, so I had some time to kill and found some friends in the aforementioned lounge. (This lounge is a great place to chill, it's in our building and just so convenient, haha...)

Meeting with Professor Slater was awesome, though he was a tad bit late. He spoke with me about the experience in the hospital and was actually concerned about my well-being and how I paid for it. Basically, with his class and others in the Faculty of Liberal Arts department, I am starting with a Tabula Rasa -- Clean Slate. Great news! I told him about my Japanese class predicament and he said he will look into it, although he made no promises.

Ironically, upon my return to Japanese class early today I found out that our books are now useless and I need to purchase the next volumes. These damn things, 3 of them, cost me $80! Professor Slater is going to email the bookstore owner and ask him about returning them for the next volumes. Professor Slater has truly been a life-saver. Or, at the very least, a GPA saver.

After my discussion with Prof Slater, I headed with some of the guys to Karate. Now, as many of you know, I am an Instructor in Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do under Sifu Scott Shields. Taking Karate is not exactly in the mindset of a JKD practitioner. Karate has been around for many years in America and Bruce Lee kind of created JKD to be the anti-Karate. Let's just say that the Karate in Japan, at least in this group, is a lot more intense than what I have seen in America. The "organized despair" that Bruce spoke of was no where to be seen tonight. The class started at 18:00. We warmed up with stretching and running. Then we gathered in a circle -- a large circle -- and began to practice the core techniques. Very different from Muay Thai or Jeet Kune Do. I felt out of place wearing my RevGear rashguard and fight shorts, but at the same time it felt good to be different. After practicing these techniques, we began drills of combination's. My partner,a Black Belt, was quite relieved when he heard I took had Muay Thai background. I do not think he was quite looking forward to teaching a newbie. These drills were simple, yet I am glad they were. They allowed me time to adjust and get the feel for training again. It was great. We donned chest protectors, and those of us that had gloves wore those, and we began more drills of combos. This was nice, because instead of hitting pads, we were hitting people! AWESOME! I am so rusty. It's amazing what happens in two months of not training. Before, where I had just acquired the ability to kick someone in the head had now become extraordinarily painful to attempt. Nonetheless, I persevered and had a great time. It felt good to punch and kick again. I definitely plan on going back on Saturday and thereafter.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Judo and try that out. I am very interested in doing Judo and have been since I saw Yoshihiro Akiyama compete in the UFC. I believe it will really help my overall game to be proficient at Judo, we'll see if I can handle both Karate and Judo.

Os!

-Gregor

PS: Here's Mount Fuji from the Koganei Dormitory.

FREEDOM!

Tomorrow I will be allowed to go home from the Hospital. This makes me happy, so happy that I'm not going to post another depressing blog about this place. Nothing about the food, nurses, or their perfectionism. Instead, here is a picture of Bruce Lee... being cool...

This place drives you crazy, man...

The things you see in a hospital freaks you out. Like, I've been in hospitals before, but never one where I don't have access to television, books, and internet is limited. Luckily, I have a phenomenal Doctor who has a WiFi internet thing that allows me access to the internet anywhere and he lets me borrow it when it when he is here.

Regardless, certain things you hear and see cannot be un-hear and unseen. For example, lights out is at 9pm (21:00) and I follow this rule obediently -- like a good gaijin (foreigner). However, my roommates -- 5 of them -- do not follow this accordingly. My immediate neighbor, while nice, is noisy. He brushes his teeth after lights-out for several minutes. While I applaud his commitment to oral hygiene, is there not a better time to gag yourself with a brush; like, perhaps brush your teeth before lights-out. It's a habitual thing as well. If it was once, certainly understandable, I've had that scuzzy feeling on my teeth and had the immediate urge to cleanse it. Yet, every night this happens. Afterward, he breaks open some containers and makes generally as much noise as possible without screaming like ninny. His neighbor, who has a window, snores. While I understand his inability to control this, what I don't understand is how a 5 foot 6 inch man can make so much noise and not wake himself up. More so, he'll talk in his sleep. I've nicknamed him the "Walrus" due to the volume which his voice commands. You'll hear a loud snore followed by some Japanese that far surpasses my own. How depressing; his sleep babble Japanese is putting my education to shame.

Mostly, the other roommates are quiet with their own idiosyncrasies. One gentleman talks to himself, quite often. Another appears attached to his computer, leaving it on all hours of the night. The quietest amongst them is the one farthest from me. How ironic, or perhaps, how poetic.

Still. The way this 病院 operates is astounding. The nurses are friendly, as are the Doctors. The food is timely. Everything works on a perfect schedule. Amazing. However, with that certain level of perfection, my freedom is jeopardized. I wish nothing more than to be free, however, I am being held captive against my will. I am not a Doctor, nor have I ever claimed to be. But, I am calling shenanigans on why I am being held here. There is something called CRP, it has something to do with Protein and my immune system. My CRP is currently, so my blood says, at 4.66. Normal, whatever that means, is below 0.3. Holy shit, that's a big difference. So much so my freedom becomes even more fleeting. I hear, through the grapevine, that if it maintains around 2.0 or below, my freedom will be more imminent.

My next post will deal with the food. Oh, my, how the food is original. Ugh.

Until next time,

-Gregor

病院

Well, as many of you know I'm currently admitted to a hospital here in Japan. I have Bronchitis that is more complicated than it should be. I have Chronic Granulamatous disease, a disease that inhibits my white-blood cells from fighting bacterial and fungal infections, and so simple Bronchitis is now that coupled with bladder problems and constant fever. THE GOOD NEWS is that the bladder issues have gone, and the bronchitis is gone for the most part. I cough only when eating -- Dr. Ed thinks it's because I've activated my saliva and it runs down my throat causing the cough. Dr. Ed isn't really a Doctor thought. Speaking of which...

The staff in these hospitals are amazing. The staff always enter my fabricable -- what I'm calling my bed area, it got two hard walls and two walls of fabric hanging from movable things -- with a 失礼します！　It means "Excuse Me!", but I literally translate it as "I'm doing something rude!" They even whisper it ever so slightly at night. They help me with the procedures of getting better food, they help figure out THE COOLEST BATH IN EXISTENCE. (It's a typical Japanese bath, you shower and clean yourself first; then you get in a massive bath of EXTREMELY hot water and soak.) They've helped me with clothes, getting internet during the day, and charging my phone so I can contact family! They've truly gone above and beyond.

However, still, I don't want to be here. I want to be outside exploring Japan. Instead, I can't. It's not even that I have the ability, it's been removed from me. I worry I am missing everything; yet, I am surprised I haven't missed anything.

I've made more Japanese friends here. Mari is the nurse I have today. She is amazing. She has gotten me sleeping pills, because we have a walrus in the room. I swear to Buddha, this man is the size of Pauly Shore, yet he snores like John Goodman. She's also started a game, I have to say something in Japanese every time she enters in an attempt to help my Japanese skills. We'll see if it works, haha.

I suppose I should explain where I am, if I can even do that. I'm at the Saiseikai Chuo Tokyo Hospital. That said, every time I go to use the bathroom, I am greeted by Tokyo Tower. At night, it is truly magnificent. I am near the harbor, yet can see no water. My day consists of sleeping with some eating and IV fluid inspection/changing. I'm insanely bored. We have a Conbini downstairs which I frequent. I love Convenience stores here in Japan, they are magical places.

My spirits are high and I can't wait to be free! Haha... The nurses are hot, so I'm not without visuals, heh. But, I'm definitely ready to go!　

Until next time--

Gregor!

My first Test...

Today was my first test in Japanese class. A unit test on some chapter in these god awful books. I must say the review in this unit was stellar -- I can now give and receive to my seniors!

"I gave Sensei my homework!"

「私は先生に宿題をさし上げました！」

Cynicism aside, I do actually enjoy the review. Sometimes it's quite mundane, but I think it will be good for my overall studies and communication. My weakest point in Japanese is vocabulary. I just don't know a lot of words -- useful words anyway. So, the vocabulary is very helpful. I learn new words everyday, now. With daily interactions and things of the nature, I get new words and phrases and try to use them once I learn them. An example of this is "Non-smoking section" -- 禁煙席 -- when I went on one of my many excursions to my favorite Italian restaurant "Saizuriya." I arrived in Saizuriya and was greeted by the hostess and she asked something I had never heard before, I asked for her to repeat it and she said "Kienseki-desu?" and I looked at her like I was a baby giraffe figuring out how long it takes a sip of water to reach my stomach. She polietly said, hiding her disdain I'm sure, "Non-smoking?" I nodded and she showed me to a seat. There are many things in this world I abhor, one is old people on the train, but two is me looking stupid. Well, more stupid than usual. While enjoying the only place in civilization that beleives in refills, I looked up on my trusty iPhone app "Kotoba!" this "Kienseki." To my disbelief, it was there -- clear as day. "Non-smoking section" = "Kinenseki"... Amazing. Now, I just get stumped on every other word she says. But, damn it, now I won't choke on cigarette smoke.

The academics at Sophia are quite interesting. They require us to read an awful lot. I'm not sure I like that. I read in Community College, I want to sit around and theorize and philosophize[sic] and stuff. I guess I'll just have to wait till Graduate school -- unless I go to UofChicago where apparently you actually do work... I don't mind studying, but reading an egregious amount on the Introduction to Sociology? Come on, I already passed a class called that! Oh, Gender Stratification through Sociology, passed a class called that too. Eastern Religions, yup. Post-war Japan, okay you got me there. Let's read cool things, that's all I'm saying.

Seriously, though, I enjoy the classes. They're (mostly) engaging and quite interesting in their respective topics. I guess I should tell you what I am taking...

• Japanese 2
• Religion, Modernity, and Postcolonialism
• Religion, Culture, and Society
• Post-war Japan: Society

I am a Relgious Studies major hidden in a International Studies Major's body. Or, at the very least, a Sociologist in the closet. Haha... I enjoy the classes I am taking -- long story short.

---

My dorm processes a colorful crew. I enjoy the company of our crew very much! We went out for Nomihodai again this weekend, however, there were these annoying drinking games that made it quite difficult to actually enjoy your drink. Now, true GAMES are all well and good. But, RULES are fucking retarded. One RULE was "You aren't allowed to point or say the word 'Drink.'" The pointing thing was fine, I generally don't point at people anyway. The word "Drink", however, is intrinsic to drinking. One must inevitably say "drink" when you are consuming liquid. That RULE is all well and good, too. Only caught me once with it. The next rule bothered the living fuck out of me. It was, "There's a little man living in your beer. Every time you take a drink, you must remove the man, consume your beverage whilst holding the man, and then placing him back into your beverage." What the crap. That's was soooooo annoying. I only got caught the first time, because I had no idea what was going on, but that turned me off immediately to the little man living in my drink. That little man can go off himself on the Chuo Train line with the 1000 other people. Next time we Nomihodai, I will not participate in the little man shenanigans claiming he died by instantaneous Jeet Kune Do explosion and anyone who questions me will be next. Fuck you, little man. Get out of my beer. Haha... The simple things in life.

Today's a national holiday, so the trains were quite clear. I managed to get on a Super Rapid Train that skipped all stops that are tiny on my way home today. I got off at Mitaka to switch back to the regular Rapid, so i could actually get home. Well, I'm going to do some homework and laundry.

-Gregor

So sorry! I am here!

I apologize for the lack of updates for the past two weeks, I've been insanely busy. I believe I left off on Monday of last week and we shall start there in outline form. Yay!

• Went to see Studio Ghibli's new film Karigurashi no Arrietty. It's based in Koganei, the town at which my dorm is held and is based on the Borrowers' story. It was amazing. I was 40-60% on the dialog, but I mostly knew what was going on. The music and visuals create a stunning presentation and a healthy addition to the Ghibli family. The soundtrack is phenomenal...

• Tuesday was the day of the Japanese Placement Test. This was the most demoralizing test I have ever taken, haha... It's purpose is to place you in an appropriate Japanese class, the inherent problem, however, lies in it's level. It's made for the higher level Japanese students and their placement. Less that two years of studying and you're kind of just placed somewhere. Our dorm was placed in various classes, ranging from Advanced to Japanese 1. That's right, people who have studied Japanese and who know Hirigana and Katakana (the alphabets) are expected to RELEARN this shit. An egregious misuse of the test. I was placed in Japanese 2 and said "Fuck it, I'll take it." At least I won't be in there saying "A.... A... I.... I.... U.... U...." for two hours everyday. The people placed in Japanese 1 later contested their results and were placed in 1.5 (that's right they break it down further).

• That Thursday, I went out for my first "Nomihodai" or drinking party. Now, I had alluded a few of the previous ones by being ninja, but this one had food! So, I was there. It was a blast! We all got hammered! I've never been THAT drunk before and never drunk as an adult. I was plastered. I am happy to report my Japanese skills skyrocket and my martial arts stay intact. ;)

• One of those days we had Orientation where we learned a hole bunch of interesting things about "how long my index finger is" and "if I fall asleep, do they care?" It was boring. The best part was the Japanese guy talking about not being drunk on campus. You'll apparently be kicked out of Japan! Oh, snap! And, the Clubs and Circles. There are few that interest me, but I'll get into that in a minute. The Orientation ended and we had 4 hours to kill before we had to be back for The Welcome Party.

• The in-between was fun, we went somewhere. I'm pretty sure we went to Shinjuku. We did! Okay, sorry.... We went to Shinjuku and walked around a bit, a lot, a f' ton. We returned and I was grouchy and tired. I sat in the air-conditioning by myself a bit to cool down and then joined the gang outside. The Party was about to begin.

• The Party was... interesting. While a clever idea, we all just stayed in our respective groups and any who tried to migrate were shunned. Not literally, but slowly ostracized. A few Japanese had true autonomy and were able to freely move, as if they were omnipresent.

• The Karate club presented at the Party and intrigued me greatly. The Black belt did a quik Kata. It commanded a sense of respect through yelling -- it's the source of their power. Like my inability to spell quick. Afterward, the Green Belt and Black Belt sparred. Bruce Lee once called Karate tournaments "Organized Despair." The sparring was not much different. I mean no disrespect; however, wearing gloves and punching each other in the stomach is hardly sparring. Flashing a kick, but pulling back right at the last second is not sparring. Perhaps an organized display, I'd certainly agree. Or, even, an impromptu display of techniques; but, certainly, what they were doing was not sparring. Again, no disrespect. Merely my observations. Now, having said that, I may actually take this Karate. I just hope the "Master's" don't want to "test their might"...

Now, we've caught up to this week!

I don't remember Sunday, it must've sucked. But, Monday we went to AKIHABARA! The ANIME CAPITAL! I was salivating.

I must specify that I am not an Otaku. An Otaku is, for lack of a better term, an anime nerd. It literally means one of obsesses.I enjoy anime, but there are millions -- in the US ho surpass me. I generally like the type of anime that most others don't. For example, on Cartoon Network's Toonami they had several anime. Most remember Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Gundam, but not I. I remember Tenchi Muyo. I like the stories about the hapless nerds who stumble upon numerous beautiful women. If you judge me, I know Kung Fu. Not really, but I do.

Upon our arrival, we were bombarded with visuals of "Electric Town." There were so many images of Anime girls, so many vendors and shops. It was amazing. My heart was aflutter. That sounded gay. Well, I was excited, to say the least. We wondered into Gaming stores to find NES, SNES, Sega consoles, everything gaming. We didn't go into a lot of anime stores because of the group we were with, but I plan on going back to get some cool swag. We did, however, go into a capsule store! You know those capsules that are freaking awesome? Yeah, that store. We each bought some random ones, but we all bought a single "Gacha Gacha" man and I got the "? guy."


He is currently attached to my phone. Akihabara was truly an experience and I can't wait to go back.

The rest of the week was kind of casual and of no great importance. Except, we did go out for another Nomihodai! I got wasted again, haha... Friday was the first day of classes and they were pretty cool, I suppose. I'll leave that for another post.

Lastly, yesterday, we went to Asakusa! It's a big shrine thing. We all got our fortunes and only two of us avoided the "BAD Fortune"! Thankfully I was spared and got a Regular Fortune while Maki got "BEST Fortune"... That sentence is hard to read. Basically, one Good fortune, one regular fortune, and seven Bad fortunes. Haha... It was quite fun!

Today was quite boring, just studied. Tomorrow I've got a quiz in Japanese! Yatta! Haha... My next post is going to be about grievances with Japan. They need to refill my damn drink... Haha.

So, the weekend draws to a close

I am fascinated by the scenes that surround me. Many signs that which I can only make out a fraction of what they're intending to tell me -- and normally I understand an infinitesimal detail that means nothing. More so, there are colors and images that captivate the imagination all around you. Merely walking to go eat some lunch, you will be bombarded with these images. Quite frankly, it's amazing. Nothing has captured my imagination so completely than my surroundings. Hoping onto the train, you get the weather, advertisements for shows and plays, anime all around. Describing such an experience is futile, one must literally experience it first hand.

Yesterday, being Sunday, I woke up and went to go get myself breakfast/lunch. After showering, I realized I was one of the only people in the dorm. How weird. Any-who, I took a bit of a walk to the 7-eleven -- my new favorite spot -- and purchased plenty of junk food. Pocky, Chocolate, Potato Chips, Mixed Nuts, and a chicken sandwich. Readily avoiding the porn, I make my way to the register all the more confident. I now know the word for bag, so no surprises. The lady is checking my things out and tells me the total and I hand her some yen. The wrong amount of yen. She began speaking to me as sweet as possible, but yet, I couldn't make out a word. I panicked. Thinking quickly to myself, "she's not asking if I want a bag, right? It can't be the bag again. Why did they even invent bags!?" I then noticed she was pointing at the change in her hand. I had given her two 50 yen pieces not two 500 yen pieces. Oops. I gave her the correct change and she smiled like you would at a special puppy. I took my junk food and went back to the dorm for a chill day.

I've deduced that these days are meant for one thing: sleep. Apparently, that's all that everyone does here. I guess jetlag is a very real thing. I was excused from it -- thank Shiva -- because I ran myself ragged before I left. (That's not a very flattering thing to say about oneself.) So, all I did on the plane was sleep. Any-who, I'm eating my junk food -- that is quite delicious -- when I receive a knock at my door. A quick trouser check, and I opened to see a neighbor. Asking me to a drink-a-thon for the night. "Yeah! That'd be awesome!" This is where I failed. I failed to ask where we were meeting. Oh, well. I was hanging out waiting to go get drunk when I get my first Skype call! After a very entertaining and heartwarming call where I got to see my cat -- who appears fine -- I went to go get ready. (Is it odd that I miss my cat? When I lived with him I could've cared less. It's true what they say; you don't know what you got till it's gone.) I get ready and receive a knock at my door letting me know where 25 eta. I hang around my room for 25 minutes and go and see where everyone is at.... and no one. All the name thingys are yellow -- meaning they've left. I got left. Fuck. Oh, well! A night on the town by myself it is! I walk up to the train station trying to decided where to go, it's already dark outside so I can't go to Ueno Park to see the "Last Samurai"'s statue. I really want to got to Akihabara with other people. So, I turned around and decided to explore Koganei a bit. After about an hour of walking, I moseyed into Mos Burger -- I'm a creature of habit, haha -- and ate.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Aw, how sad. He's eating by himself." Well, stop that! How can that possibly be sad? I'm in Tokyo eating some crazy burger that I have no idea what's in it and am looking out across the courtyard where I see a billion people moving about their lives. It could've been worse, I could've pouted around the dorm and just slept. But, THAT'S depressing. I made the most of my situation. That's how I roll, son. I was smiling like I just won the lottery. Not really, that' be creepy. Maybe like a door prize. Any-who, I was quite chill. Eating my Zangi Burger and fries with a "Cola" that had the weirdest after taste -- turns out it's Pepsi Next. At this point it was near 10pm, and I wandered by the Pachinko place and back to the dorm. With a Coke Zero in hand to dull the taste.

And, that was my weekend. Monday is a bit more exciting... But, it's not over yet -- so you'll have to wait. I'll leave you with a teaser...
Final Fantasy IV for the DS

Gregor arrives in Japan... The trip, the feeling, the arrival

I currently sit here, presenting to you, a story that is one day old. I began to write it yesterday, but time -- and power -- ran short. I present you with "The Trip"...

Flying is a scary thing. You think about long enough, it begins to overtake your mind. Overwhelming it with thoughts of crashing, or snakes if you're Samuel L Jackson. I look up to see a monitor on someone else's chair rest to see that we are currently flying over Alaska's many islands. Roughly where Metal Gear Solid 1 take's place: the Fox Archipelago. I began to think of that great story and wanting to play Metal Gear. Alas, I cannot. For I am stuck on a plane with very few English speakers. To my right is a women who's family is sitting across the isle to my left. She speaks to them frequently in Chinese, but it's little to no bother to me. My mind is blissfully elsewhere.
Having gotten on the plane some 6 or 7 hours ago, I spent the first half eating, watching A-Team again, and sleeping. Sleeping on an airplane for me is quite easy, until my back starts hurting. Then there's no stopping it. No matter the position, it will hurt. It has started to hurt. Oh, well. Food is coming again. It's a sandwich that tastes like a brick. Delectable.
Japan is fast approaching. Is it real? Why doesn't it feel real yet? Man... These questions have no answers, not yet. I certainly am excited. But, why isn't it real? It's been my dream for longer than I can remember to go to Japan. The very fact that I am less than 5 hours away should quantify real, yet my mind won't accept it. Maybe my mind won't accept real. Whoa. Too deep, haha...
I can't wait to meet my "escort" to the dorm. I hope it's a girl. And I hope she's hot. (Post note: She was. Very hot.)

So, that was my note while flying on the plane. I soon fell asleep again for a few hours, maybe 2.5. I arrived at Narita to go through Customs without a hoot, and go through Immigration speaking onry Japanese! "What's in your luggage?" said the Immigration man in Japanese. "Clothes and computer." "Very good." And boom! I'm in Japan. Holy shit! Went to the exchange counter to get the cash I had turned into Yen -- part of me died. Damn US Dollar. Looked for my escort and found her. Holy crap, she's freaking hot! Now, if only I could speak Japanese! Wait, she speaks English! And it's great! Haha... Her name is Yui and she's been to America a lot and misses it greatly. Why would she want to leave Japan? It's got Lights, and an airport! Well, that's all I can tell right now.
We hop on the JR Train together onward to Tokyo. We sit and talk about random things, like what she does. She said she used to party and doesn't like it anymore 'cause she has to talk to dudes. I don't blame her, I wouldn't talk to dudes either. Any-who, we hop off the JR train -- and by Hop, I mean lug my heavy ass bags around. And by we, I mean me! haha... She helped at the next part, getting on the subway -- Chuo Line -- to Koganei where my dorm is located. We continue to talk, but it's quite crowded so we simmer down. I stare out the window, mesmerized by all the lights and signs. This is what I though Japan would be. A huge city where everything echoes my animated mind. Maybe that's what I was waiting for. This is real.
We get off the Chuo Line and head down the elevator, I'm sweating profusely looking quite out of shape carrying these things. "Fat foreigner" is what I was thinking to myself. Yui even mentioned I'd loose a lot of weight here. "What is she insinuating? I've lost a lot of weight!" my defensive mind protested. She then explained that her visit to America caused her to gain 24 pounds! She lost all without exercising; only eating Japanese food. As a guy, I hope to loose 40 pounds so I look like Christian Bale in that movie where he plays the same character he always does only 40 pounds less and emaciated. Except the whole emaciated part and the 40 pounds part. If I loose weight, then so be it. (I weighed 165 when I left.)
I arrive at the dorm around 6:30pm local time. I send my regards to Yui and meet a new fellow dormmate (dormer?) named Tim. He must weigh all of 37 pounds and carrying two HUGE things of luggage. He puts my set to shame and has the sweat to prove it. We are greeted by Ryou-chou who is our Dorm Head and his wife(?) who wants to be called Okasan or mother (in a strictly house sense, Mom. I'm not cheating on you!). He shows us to our rooms and hurries us around the dorm. I'm on the 4th floor in a small room. Tim is on the 5th floor in a wide room. After a quick tour and explanation of our name tag "Home or Away" things. We are left to our own devices. Tim and I agreed to go unpack. We did just that and I passed out afterward. I think Tim did the same because I never heard anyone knock. The pillow is made of beans and is quite... odd. It remains cool, yet just uncomfortable enough to bother but not uncomfortable enough to stay awake. I was told to bring my own pillow and room in my suitcases forbid such a thing. Actually it forbid a lot of things I wanted to bring; Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Lucy Liu... ooops. Sorry. I mean, my Gi and Boxing Gloves with Shin Guards. I'll just have to manage. Good thing most Jeet Kune Do stuff is SELF DEFENSE WITH VIOLENCE! Oops, again.

I woke up early-ish and took a shower -- AMAZING WATER PRESSURE -- and decided to go do something. I gathered my bag and left. I totally forgot what to say when you leave. I believe I said "It's a mighty mouse." You're supposed to say "行ってきます！” but I failed. I walked around my dorm and found an ATM, I walked up to it and saw more Kanji than in China so I ran away like a child who runs from.... clowns. Defeated by the dreaded ATM called Mizuho, I walked into a convenience store and bought a Coke Zero Free. I walked up to the counter and she asked me if I was old. I was like, "What? Am I not old enough to buy this coke? I want to see your MANAGER! UNNECESSARY RAGE!" I uttered "Eh?" She repeated, "Fukuro?" Oh, that means bag. And she lifted up a plastic bag. I nodded, disgusted at my rage when I thought she said "Furui" which means old. I happily took my Coke Zero Free and walked over to the train station. "Maybe a ride to Shinjuku or the school..." I walk over to the giant map and became very scared by the giant map. This map was f'n huge. Like a movie theater. Ok. Let's see if I can figure this out. It's my turn to buy a ticket. Um... It doesn't say Shinjuku on this machine only a bunch of numbers! AAAAAAHHHHHH!HH!H!! I run away again, this time like I stole something. The train station defeated me. I came back to the dorm, the Ryou-Chou looked at me confused. I got the greeting right, though! "Tadaima!" I shouted happily. "Okaerinasai!" he said back. I walked up to my room a proud man. I bought a Coke Zero Free! It is real.

Later, a man by the name of Noah knocked on my door. I was playing my DS and opened the door. He invited me to lunch! How nice! A group of us from the dorm then went to a place called "Mas Burger"! I ate something called a "Sangi Burger' and it was delicious. Afterward, a few of us went to Sophia. I figured out the number thing on the Train ticket machine. The number is corralated on the price of which the distance you are traveling; i.e., from Musashi-Koganei Station to Yotsuya is 380 yen. You put 380 yen in the machine and get a ticket that says 380 yen. You travel to your stop, place your ticket through the counter and boom. Free to go. Rather simple once you get the idea. We rode to Sophia, Greg, Kiron (he's from Dublin), and I. Greg was meeting someone so Kiron and I went on our own. Turns out he's a Black Belt in Hapkido and is very cool. A kindred Martial spirit! How awesome! We did walked around and headed back. He showed me an ATM that did not demand my first young (NO FEE! WTF!) that was inside a 7-Eleven. This 7-Eleven also had manga. And porn! Yay! I mean, no. Bad porn. ANYWAY. That was my first day here in Tokyo. And it's still not over yet. And it only cost me 1737 yen or around $500. ($22.00 is a better guess).

Let's see what the rest of the day shall bring!

-Gregor the Wizard

"T Minus" One month

Wow, it still has not sunk in yet. But, man, is it fast approaching. Since my last post I've had quite the amazing time with some Foreign Exchange students from Japan -- many from Sophia! They are such awesome people and I can't wait to visit their homeland so they can show me the "lay of the land."

They call the class "Japanese Immersion" and that title is dead-on. We, as UNCC students, welcomed Japanese students from various Universities and helped them with their English while they helped us with our Japanese. The time was invaluable. Not only did it increase my vocabulary and grammar skills, but also my confidence in the language. I received an awesome compliment from one of my fellow students; he said, "Your Japanese is very comfortable." Wow. That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me -- I guess it just means my hard work is paying off. My only regret is that I couldn't spend more time with them. Due to previous engagements, I sometimes couldn't go the extra activities they were doing. Also, I was really sick one day with a stomach bug. I apologize my Nippon-friends.

I still haven't packed. I've sold one thing -- some lamps. The departure date is steadily approaching and I'm afraid I'll be totally unprepared. Haha, that's par the course, I suppose.

Lastly, as for my previous fears, they are slowly fading and I'm quickly gaining confidence and excitement for this once in a lifetime adventure. Tokyo is going to be amazing, and the fact I already a bunch of cool people makes it worth all-the-more.

Guys, I'm going to Japan!

-Gregor

"They say Japan was made by a sword. They say the old gods dipped a coral blade into the ocean, and when they pulled it out four perfect drops fell back into the sea, and those drops became the islands of Japan. I say, Japan was made by a handful of brave men. Warriors, willing to give their lives for what seems to have become a forgotten word: honor." -Simon Graham, The Last Samurai

Countdown to Japan: 1.5 Months away

Wow. Only a month and a half till I leave. That thought alone sends shivers down my spine -- both in excitement and terror. I stand upon the precipice of a new chapter in my life.

Why am I scared, you ask? I am leaving everything. Friends, family, my apartment, training, all of which I am leaving behind. More so, I am not looking forward to life in a dormitory. Being 25 years old and being under the constraints of a curfew is not my idea of a good time. Not to say I want to spend every night out till the wee hours of the mornin', but I'd still like the option. Also, I am a bit worried I'll be spending too much time in the dorm. These are really minor thoughts and worries, nothing to remove me from the reality that I am, in fact, going to Japan.

Japan is the place I've been interested in since middle school. Ever since seeing Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network back in 1997, I haven't been the same. Originally an obsessive and overweight "otaku", I slowly evolved into what I am today. However, even though I lost weight, my fascination with the "Land of the Rising Sun" never wavered. Slowly the fixation on their animation turned to their history and then their culture. More recently, that fixation is shared with their Martial culture -- having become a "martial artist", a title I don't feel I quite own yet.

In preparation of my departure, I have begun to sell my belongings and figure out what I wish to keep -- as well as study Japanese more. I plan on updating twice more before I depart -- one month out and two weeks out. It's going by so fast, it's hard to believe!

-Ed

"We are all climbing different paths through the mountain of life." -Guro Dan Inosanto

Better Know A Blogger: Gregor

Hey All!

I hope all is well with everyone. My name is Ed Stahl, known as "Gregor the Wizard" to some, and I am a 25 year old man living in North Carolina about to depart on an adventure of a lifetime.

Now, you're probably wondering why I would name my blog such an odd name. Well, I thought about a few different ideas and even posed the question to Facebook and received some interesting replies (and awesome) replies.

I originally thought...

"Ed is going to Japan!"

Lame... It has no originality and lacks that "umph" one looks for when looking at a blog. You think, "this is going to be exciting, a guy going on and on about his trip to Japan... Oh, whooptydo."

Then, an idea from a friend...

"Ed's Epic Nippon Adventure Fun Blog"

Wow! That's an awesome title! But, it became a logistical nightmare. I needed something shorter... Then it came to me while I was eating lunch at Subway.

GREGOR THE WIZARD VS JAPAN

AWESOME! It has a ring to it that imposes humor and a false-renitency. Of course, I am not going head-to-head with a country, but I am going head-to-head with their culture! Not really, just trying to make sense of it all... My nickname, "Gregor the Wizard", came from my martial arts instructor when we and another friend of ours were discussing a "fight name" for a student at the dojo. We were going through some names and I suggested one that was poorly received.
"Ha! That's about as cool as 'Gregor the Wizard', he hails from the land of dyslexia" he laughed. And.... it stuck. I have had other awesome nicknames like "Roger" and "Baholahineysniffer", but none were quite as epic -- or lame -- as Gregor.

The point of this blog, as illustrated on the About Page -- GO THERE!! -- is simple. A place for me to share my happenings in Japan with my loved ones in America.

Quite simply, this trip is the hardest thing I've ever done. Leaving everything behind -- friends, family, pet -- and go on this selfish, once in a lifetime adventure, across the world.
I hope you all will share it with me through this medium and enjoy...


-Gregor the Wizard

"The key to immortality is to first live a life worth remembering..." - Sijo Bruce Lee