I feel like a new project is coming. I’m not exactly sure what kind of shape it will take, but I have things floating in my head, and I’m sort of bored with the status quo that seems to have set in on the site. I’m due for a new issue of GEISHA, and I do have some ideas for that (I’ve been thinking of creating an entire issue without any photos, since I tend to depend too much on them, a graphic-and-type only issue), but I also want to consider something totally new. I could also work on a new design for the site, since this one is about half a year old, and I like to keep things changing. I could just play around with the color scheme, but I think I want to try something more radical, but that will have to wait until I get back from my trip to Canada. As for the new project I have in mind, well, it would be something that wouldn’t be limited to the internet, since everything I do seems to be net-based, and I want to try something outside of that limited scope. Also, I’d definitely be interested in creating somekind of group project, with one or more people. I have some people in mind, and I might contact them in a few weeks, if I get those thoughts I’m having in order. Time to create the new.

Just a note to say that my latest Tokyo Boy entry, “Firecrackers,” has been modified. It was the first time I tried sending a message with multiple images (3), but I hadn’t made the proper adjustments in the Mfop2 template. Things should be OK from now on.

And it was quite fun lighting some more firecrackers with the kids. I was as excited as they were! My assistant had organized a little party for the last class (since I won’t be seeing them for a month), and so we had hot dogs and pop, and then we went ouside and lit firecrackers. The kids even did this little haunted house thing that ended up being more funny than scary. Kids will be kids.

As we were taking a midnight stroll a few nights ago, we passed in front of a neighborhood snack, and saw the mama-san walking one of her customers back to his home nearby. A snack is like a very small bar, usually only a counter and a few seats, run by one person (and usually the only employee) who is usually a woman and is refered to as the mama-san. The people that go there tend to be regulars, and there’s a sort of family dynamic that forms (probably the reason for the mama-san title). MATTHEW’S BEST HIT TV always has a 30 second segment in which they show video footage from the Yukari Snack in Akabane, and we always get to see the Yukari Mama doing plain weird things with her customers. I’d like to go to one someday, but I think I lack the courage to do so, especially since I don’t feel like my Japanese would stand up to a night of drinking.

As mentioned in Tokyo Boy, I went to the new Office in Meguro last night to say goodbye to Antonin before he left Tokyo (which would have been this morning). The original Office in Gaienmae is one of my favorite cafe/bars, and so I was curious to see how this one would compare. The design of the place was very similar (I loved the orange cushion-like lamp), but the problem with this one is that I can’t figure at all why they chose that location. As far as I can tell, it’s not in a particularly hip area, and it’s a bitch to get there (from Shibuya you take the Toyoko line, and then it’s a 10-15 minute walk from the station). I’ll definitely be sticking with the Gaienmae branch.

Coming back home we got caught in the rain, and it was a heavy one at that. Soaked to the bones. Haven’t been stuck in the rain with no umbrella like that in quite a long time. It was sort of funny.

I live just off a street called Azuma, which is a one-way side street with not that much traffic, but a few shops and restaurants along the way. In the past 6 months we’ve started seeing a boom in the area, with new udon, ramen, and other shops opening in succession. This week will see the opening of a new “healthy” (no additives) bento shop, and then next month will see a Matsuya gyudon shop just beside it, both just 10-20 seconds from my place. Add to this my new regular haunt, King Ramen, as well as our local Velocce coffeeshop, and we’re pretty much in need of nothing when it comes to quick and cheap food. I still can’t believe how cheap our rent is.

I am now addicted to firecrackers. Summer is firecracker and fireworks season in Japan, and you can find all sorts of firecrackers in the convenience stores. Last night we were taking a midnight stroll, as we often do, and we stopped by at Don Qixote and on impulse picked up a few. I’d been wanting to get some for a while, but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. We came home and started lighting them in front of our door, and I really got into it. As soon as we were done, we went to get some more at the combini down the road. We ended up lighting firecrackers for around an hour, probably entertaining (and mystifying) a few passersby. I definitely want to get some more before we leave for Canada. It’s only too bad that I can’t bring them with me, as they’re illegal in Canada and I doubt I could get them through customs (I even had to take my shoes off at the gate in Seoul before boarding the plane).

I want to light some up now, but must control myself…

This has got to be one of the weirdest games out there. Here’s the description from The Magic Box:

Global A Entertainment announced they will release Chou Aniki: Seinaru Protein Densetsu for PlayStation 2 in Japan in October, a remake of Maisya / NCS’s classic shooter, which features two half naked muscle men Adon and Samson as the main characters, and a bunch of muscle men as bosses.

Edit: I’ve removed the image because the link was constantly broken.

Not a good name for a bank.

And with this batch we finish up my pics from our Seoul trip. All the pics were posted in the same order they were taken, so I think it gives you a good idea of how our trip went. I also have some video footage, but that’s mostly Yuko being a sarcastic guide who points out wacky stuff.

Kimchee stew anyone?

Yuko standing in Insadong on our final night in Seoul. We went back to the area to get some food, and also shop around a bit before leaving.

North Korean Cheongru pheasant’s meat bun. Nothing but the best for our North Korean workers. I decided to pass.

Learn how to bow the proper way, with funny little animated sequences. Link via Jesper.

My neighbor is masturbating again. I guess he doesn’t know we can see him, but when we’re in the kitchen preparing something or washing our hands, we can see through his curtains, just 2-3 meters away from our window. He gets naked, lies on his bed, and then goes at it. Yuko just asked me how long he can last, because he seems to go at it for quite a while. When he’s not masturbating, we see him walk around in his room in just his tiny briefs. Yes, it’s quite exciting in my neighborhood.

We were in the mood for some Korean today, and so Yuko did a search on the Net for restaurants in our area, and we ended up finding this really great place called Sourutei. You would probably never find the place just walking around, as it’s in one of the back streets of Ikebukuro, in an area with lots of love hotels, and also on the 3rd floor of a building. The review she found mentioned that the place wasn’t much to look at, but that the food was worth a visit. Well, the place was definitely on the older side, but it had an atmosphere that I sort of liked (I’ll admit to liking old diners though). The food was cheap and good, and I can honestly say that the bibimbap I had was tastier than the one I had a few weeks ago in Seoul. The place was run by a couple of Korean women, and they explained to us that the taste is a bit different from what you would get in Korea, more suited to the Japanese palate (guess I’m turning Japanese). We’ll definitely be making regular visits, and I’m already planning on having some Korean style sukiyaki next time I go.

Today was all about F-ZERO GX for me. I’m a huge F-Zero fan, having played it on every console it was released (Super Nintendo, N64, Gameboy Advanced), and I was definitely anticipating this release, so much that I had pre-ordered it a while ago. Release date was today, and I’ve gotten quite a few hours of playing time already (thanks to the early morning delivery from Amazon Japan). Oh man, this game is good. The game was actually done by Sega, which is a bit odd, but they’ve made an excellent follow-up (and it’s the team responsible for the excellent SUPER MONKEY BALL games, so no wonder). Need to go play some more now.