My Osaka

I. LOVE. OSAKA! I remember the first time I came to Japan to travel, I loved Tokyo so much. I still do love Tokyo, but Osaka has a charm like no other city in Japan. The stereotype is that Tokyoites are too rigid and not as nice whereas Osakans are relaxed and friendly. I’m not going to get into a battle between the two cities because I really do like them both, but instead I’m going to tell you about Osaka and why I like it.

Did you know Osaka is the 3^rd largest city in Japan? Actually I always thought it was the 2^nd largest until I just looked it up on Wikipedia haha! Yokohama is the 2^nd largest, but literally I’ve never heard anything about Yokohama…what do you do there? Is there anything special?? In any case, Osaka is big, BUT not too big. This is one reason I like Osaka. Even though it’s big, it’s small enough that you can get to know it pretty well. However, you never run out of things to do/see, and you never get bored. I feel like there are so many different districts in Tokyo (which is why it’s really fun to visit) that you can never really get to know each nook and cranny. There are even some parts in Osaka that I haven’t really explored too much, but as for the main parts, I know them pretty well. I don’t have to use my phone map anymore to get around. I understand all the train lines. I’ve found that as you get away from downtown, the suburbs can have some nice scenery and a rural atmosphere. After coming home from a bustling night out, I love the quietness that greets me in my humble little town of Shijonawate. It’s actually beginning to feel homely.

There is this feeling in Osaka that is kind of hard to explain, but I’m going to try. It’s like we know we are the underdog, but we don’t care. We know that Tokyo is more popular. However, we are ok with it because we know how cool we are…or something like that. We aren’t jealous of Tokyo’s fame because we are so satisfied and content with Osaka that we don’t really think about Tokyo that much. We know Osaka is fun and that if people come, they will be shocked at how cool it really is. I guess in short, we are badass and we know it.

The next point is probably the main one that everyone knows. Osaka is famous for its food. We have a lot of original dishes. People come here to eat. Even the people in Osaka seem to be a little heavier set that people from Tokyo and other regions. When you think of Osaka, you automatically think of takoyaki. For those who don’t know, takoyaki are little batter balls with bits of octopus inside topped with a savory sauce, fish flakes, mayonnaise, and seaweed bits. It is hot and delicious! …that’s what she said. :P There are other dishes from Osaka besides takoyaki though. My favorite Japanese food is another staple of Osaka…kushikatsu! It’s deep-fried battered stuff such as meat, cheese, veggies, and dessert on skewers that you dip in a sauce and eat off the stick. SO DELICIOUS! Let’s not forget to mention okonomiyaki either. Although I may be a traitor for saying this, I’m gona say it anyway…I do love Osaka’s okonomiyaki, but I think I like Hiroshima’s style even better because they put noodles in it. Oh, by the way, okonomiyaki is savory “pancake” with your choice of meat, veggies, and other things cooked inside. It’s also topped with the same things as takoyaki, but you can get many kinds of versions of it. So my point is, if you are looking for some hearty, flavorful Japanese food (these are words you don’t usually associate with Japanese food), come to Osaka!

As I previously touched on, Osakans are believed to be to be more outspoken and friendly. One reason for this is because they speak what is called Kansai-ben. This means that they speak with a Kansai (the region of Japan Osaka is in) dialect. More specifically, Osakans speak with Osaka-ben which is the Osaka form of Kansai-ben. Kansai/Osaka-ben is famous for sounding…well…rough and casual. I have been studying Kansai-ben, and I’m proud to say that I can speak a fair amount and comprehend most of it. Osakans take pride in their dialect. To Tokyoites, Kansai-ben may sound kind of tough and rude, but for the most part, I think that people outside of Kansai kind of see it as cool, cute, or friendly. For whatever reason, perhaps because it is quite different from standard Japanese or because it’s so colorful, Kansai-ben seems to be quite popular compared to other Japanese dialects. One of the most fun things for me is to study Kansai-ben. It is literally something I have studied and pursued on my own because I honestly enjoy it.

When I first found out that I would be placed in Osaka, I didn’t realize how incredibly lucky I was. I am now convinced that I have THE BEST placement in all of Japan. There is nowhere else I’d rather be. Besides all of the reasons I’ve just told you about, let me explain why Osaka’s location is so great. Osaka is basically in the heart of Japan. I can easily access any part of the country from Osaka by plane, car, bus, regular trains, or shinkansen (bullet trains) without it taking very long. I am literally next door to Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe all of which are famous places in Japan. Tokyo is only a two to three hour bullet train ride away! I’ve been there several times since moving here. I’ve taken planes to the highest and lowest parts of the country, Hokkaido and Okinawa, and it only took about 2 hours. Hell, Korea was only like a 2 and a half hour plane ride away from Osaka! When I went south to Hiroshima, that was only like a 2 hour bullet train ride away, too! It is so incredibly convenient to live in Osaka!

Now I am going to introduce Osaka to you using pictures (be warned, there are a lot). I want you to get a feel for what it’s really like. I will show you some famous sights, but also small places that I like. I want you to see Osaka for what it’s really like, the Chicago of Japan: beautiful and rough at the same time, lots to do and see, and a ton of personality. Maybe I’m being biased because I’m from Chicago. Did you know that Osaka and Chicago are actually sister cities?

First off, welcome to Dotonbori. This is the most famous place in Osaka. It's located in the Shinsaibashi/Namba area (it's kind of in between both so I'm not sure which one to say) of Osaka which is referred to as minami (south) by the locals. The giant Glico Man sign is one of the main symbols of Osaka. This is where the fun is at. At night, Dotombori comes alive. Did you know the city in Blade Runner was modeled after Osaka, particularly Dotonbori?

Day version.

That's the famous mechanical crab!

Night version.

Next up, we have Amemura (American Village). It's full of fun bars, clubs, and restaurants. It's located in the Shinsaibashi district. Why is is called American Village? Perhaps because many foreigners hang out here? Or maybe because there are many foreign restaurants? Then again, there are more than just American foreigners in Japan. I suppose maybe they call it Amemura because there is an American flag painted on a building, a fake Statue of Liberty, and a Starbucks, McDonalds, and Burger King all on the same street.

The main strip in Amermura.

"Triangle Park" in Amemura. On Halloween, people in costumes
fill the streets here and have an all out party. Did you know
that it is legal to drink on the streets in Japan?

This is L&L, a bar in Amemura. I don't go as much now, but
I used to go to this bar a lot when I first moved here. They have
great sangria and hookah.

This is an izakaya (Japanese pub) chain called Torikizoku.
They are all over the place, but we often go to this one in Amemura.

Ahh, Balabushka. I think I have written a whole post about this
place before. It's a sport's bar in Amemura with free darts and
billiards. It's a huge place, and the staff is wonderful.
I <3 you guys!

Uncle Steven's in Amemura. Really great margaritas!

Slices in Amemura. The closest thing to real
pizza I've found besides Costco.

Now let me show you the actual Shinsaibashi area...

This is on Midsuji which is the main street.
It's lined with high end places like Gucci, Prada,
Louis Vuitton, etc. Parallel to this street is
Shinsaibashi-suji which is a covered shopping
arcade full of cheaper shops.

El Pancho, perhaps the restaurant I've been to the most
in Osaka. Located right outside of Shinsaibashi Station.

This is Cinquencento. It's a martini bar, and every drink is 500
yen which is awesome! Ya, maybe I still don't know how
to pronounce the name right, but it's a great place.

This izakaya is called Kyushu. Any big party/gathering we
have usually begins here. All you can drink, good food, and
good company.

As the sun goes down, if you are in the Shinsaibashi area,
you are guaranteed a wild time. This is Midosuji at night.

Right on Misosuji , there is a HUB which is a British
pub chain. I love the HUB! I often go to this one and the
on in Umeda (north Osaka). Delicious fish and chips!

Perhaps my favorite club in Osaka, JAWS. My perfect weekend
always includes going here. It's cheap, and there is good music!
I have met so many cool and interesting people here.

I have already explained Namba a little. Dotonbori is kind of like the divider between Shinsaibashi and Namba, both of which are in south Osaka. Namba is a very beautiful area full of nooks and crannies. There are countless shops, malls, and restaurants, a huge station complex, and a movie theater and record store I often go to.

This is the main open area of Namba.

This is Namba Parks, a beautiful mall with a theater, good
 restaurants, and a nice winter illumination.

Now I'm going to take you to Umeda, or kita (north) as the locals call it. Umeda is the business district of Osaka. Therefore, it is full of nice expensive places.

This is the Umeda Sky Building, an impressive sight.

You can see some beautiful views from the top.

Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building.

Kitashinchi is a high class bar district in north Osaka. Recently I have been going here every weekend.

Captain Kangaroo. One of the only reasonably priced
bars in Kitashinchi.

I love the atmosphere of Kitashinchi.
There are many tall buildings, and it's quite clean.

Next up is Tennoji. It's in the southeast part of the city. In the Shinsekai area of Tennoji, there are some famous attractions. There is Tsutenkaku which is the tower of Osaka, Spa World, a zoo, a mascot called Billiken, and the first kushikatsu restaurants. Shinsekai also has a reputation for being kind of dangerous because of yakuza (the Japanese mob).

This is Shinsekai in Tennoji. So flippin' cool!

This is Tin's Hall in Tennoji. It is a popular
bar among JETs. They always serve up a
nice Thanksgiving dinner every year.

Next I'll show you a little bit of Kyobashi. For me, it is the connecting hub from my town to downtown. I usually transfer from train to subway here. It's often overlooked, but it has a lot of interesting parts. The Keihan and JR stations both have good malls inside, there is a HUB, a Don Quixote, and a lot of little bars/hole in the wall places. I would also consider this to be the red light district. Once you start getting away from the stations, you see some pretty sketchy stuff like brothels and prostitutes. I feel like I see the most outwardly drunk people commuting home here.

The river area in Kyobashi is so nice. Many festivals take
place along the river bed.

This is the Coms Garden near the subways station. There are
a lot of little restaurants in it. I often walk through here at
dawn after partying all night. Looking up at the open sky is
always somehow comforting.

Very close to Kyobashi is Osaka Castle, another very famous
sight. The park surrounding the castle is a nice place
for a stroll.

This next picture is of Rinku Town. It has a very ocean-y feel to it because, well, it's right on the ocean...but something about the western style outlet mall makes it feel very California-esque. Rinku Town is right across for Kansai International airport. This place has THE most BEAUTIFUL sunsets!

Next is the Osaka Port area. It is famous for the Kaiyukan which is a very big aquarium. There's also a giant Ferris wheel and a mall. Osaka is so big that sometimes you forget it's a port city and the ocean is nearby.

On the outskirts of Osaka, you can find some pretty rural and natural spots. This next picture is in a town of Osaka called Mino. It's famous for its waterfall and yuzu fruit products. Very beautiful!

I can't show you Osaka without showing you food. So here you go!

Okonomiyaki.

Takoyaki.

Kushikatsu.

Last, I want to show you a couple places in my town of Shijonawate. I've already made posts on my town, but I didn't want to leave it out of my Osaka post because after all, it is an important place to me in Osaka.

Near my train station after a rain shower.

From my balcony. I love the way the sunset illuminates
the buildings. Also, I love the hills in my town.

I'm lucky enough to have two really great bars in walking
distance from my home. This is the Hills Cafe. There are
always dogs here!

The classiest most homely bar in the world
where everything is perfect. White and Cigar.

I hope I could give you an insider perspective of what Osaka is really like. It truly is an amazing place!

My friend Gina, also a JET, kindly featured a nice, edited version of this post on her blog. Be sure to check it and her blog out! Thanks Gina!
http://ginabearsblog.blogspot.jp/

Crime in Japan

You always hear that Japan is one of the safest countries or has a really low crime rate which is for the most part true, but let’s not turn a blind eye to reality. Bad things happen in every country. Yes, for the most part I feel completely safe walking alone at night in Japan whereas I don’t in America, but that doesn’t stop me from taking precautions…especially since I’m foreign and stand out.

The point of this post is to raise awareness for those living and traveling in Japan (whether you are Japanese or foreign). I don’t want bad things to happen to my friends or anyone else. So hopefully by explaining a few bad experiences I’ve had with crime in Japan, it will make you think twice before assuming that because it’s Japan, you don’t have to worry.

I have already mentioned in a previous post about how I am sometimes grabbed (sexually harassed) by men at bars/clubs and sometimes even on the train or in the street, but like I explained in that post, I sometimes put myself in those kind of situations by going to clubs in the first place. No, it’s not ok, but it’s something I assume might (and probably will) happen when entering a club. I accept the risk. If you don’t want to risk being touched, don’t go to clubs. Also, as hard as it may be sometimes (because trains can get so crowded), try to be aware of your surroundings and look confident. This goes for walking on the streets too. I’ve had friends who have been followed home by people before. I find myself looking behind me constantly when I am walking alone at night. It doesn’t hurt to be a little precautious. If someone is ever following you, walk towards the nearest police box! Don’t risk it! If someone ever tries to get close to you, touch you, or attack you, don’t be afraid to run, yell, or fight.

This next part doesn’t really have to do with a personal experience, but I read the Japanese news every day. For some reason it always seems to frighten me more than the American news. I talked to one of my coworkers about this, and she suggested that because America is such a big country, you only hear big national news whereas since Japan is small, you hear a lot more small detailed events. Perhaps this is true to some extent.

 In any case, there are two reasons Japanese news freaks me out more than American news. First, the way people die in Japan seems to be a lot more varied, and for some reason, a lot of it is just really gruesome. I’ve read so many stories of middle aged people killing their elderly parents or young parents killing their infants; the reason being that they don’t want to care for them. In Japan, there are no guns, so methods of killing seem to be more…creative. There’s a lot of strangling, knife stabbing, and…I rather not go into detail. For me personally, when I read the American news and hear about so and so shooting so and so, it doesn’t seem as frightening as “threw off of an 8^th floor balcony.” I’m not saying crazy sh*t doesn’t happen in the U.S., but I swear every day I read the news in Japan there is something weird and horrifying like that. Today, in the news, two people froze to death in their home (what did I tell you about Japanese homes not having good heat or insulation?!).

Anyway, the second reason Japanese news freaks me out is because the stereotype we have of Japan. We imagine all these super polite, hardworking people who would never act out of line…and then you see on the news that a crazy ex-boyfriend followed this ex-girlfriend home and stabbed her after sending her hateful emails for months. I don’t know. It’s like I expect Americans to behave out of line or something.

So on to more personal experiences. Recently, at the club I always go to, two of my friends had their wallets/money stolen! I couldn’t believe it! I’ve been to this club around 30 times, and I had never had a problem before except with perverts. In fact, I’d never heard of people being robbed in Japan like that. It's important to realize that it can happen though. Like I said before, no matter where you are, you should always be cautious...especially if you've been drinking. My whole life I have always been kind of obsessed about being victimized. I constantly think about it, therefore I am usually pretty cautious. On this night, I locked my purse, wallet, etc. in a locker like usual. My friends had their wallets in their purses around their shoulder. Now I don’t blame my friends for getting their wallets stolen, but it probably could've been prevented if they locked up their bags or just brought in their wallets and carried them in their hand. From this paragraph, please take this away: Lock up your stuff when you go to concerts, clubs, etc. Put only what you need in your pockets or carry it in your hand. Don’t carry things with you that you don’t need like an excess amount of money, passports, driver’s licenses from your home country, etc.

Still on the topic of thieves, I actually hear about people having their bikes stolen quite often. I’m not sure how this happens exactly. Perhaps they leave their bikes unlocked or the thief breaks the lock. I used to leave my bike unlocked when running into the grocery store because I thought Japan was safe, but now I always lock it when I’m not using it. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

Lastly, fighting in the streets is a pretty rare occurrence here (probably because of the super strict rules against hitting someone). Police have the right to beat anyone who is acting out of line with their batons. Police also have the right to hold you overnight in jail without a reason. In other words, police are super powerful in this country, so squabbles and unorderly (is that a word?) conduct doesn’t happen that often. My friend once told me that when he was studying abroad he saw some foreigners in the street getting into a bad fist fight, and the police came in with their batons and started beating them. Yikes! One thing I did see in person recently which was actually very surprising was a fight between a man and a woman in the street. It wasn’t that horrible because the man wasn’t fighting back, but there was this woman in a kimono smacking the guy she was with in the face with her purse and screaming at him. It was right near Kitashinchi station in front of many people. Most people just pretended they didn’t notice it happening and kept walking, but you better believe I stopped and watched, being the foreigner that I am lol.

So here are just a few examples of crime in Japan. Overall it is a safer place than many other countries, but I think that you shouldn’t treat it that way. You should always be as cautious as you are in your home country, and don’t think nothing bad can happen to you because if you have that mentality, something likely will. Cheers! Lol.

Secret Guilty Pleasure

I have a secret that I think literally nobody knows about… and I’m gona tell you about it! Maybe only my friend Aimee has a hunch about my secret since she shares the same pleasure as me. First, however, I need to give you some background info.

As a child who grew up in the 90’s, I was sucked into the whole boy band/girl band/pop culture fad by default. I loved Spice Girls, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and stuff like that until one wonderful day when I was around 11 years old, I discovered Linkin Park and System of a Down. My life changed from then. Ever since that time, I have listed to heavy metal. I grew to resent singers like Britney Spears because they didn’t make their own music or play instruments (I don’t really care about that nowadays, though). Each year that passes, the heavier my taste gets. Heavy metal will always be my core of music.

Within the past few years, I have really grown to enjoy dance/club/dubstep/electronic/techno music as well. I like DJ’s like Skrillex, Tiesto, Deadmau5, and Steve Aoki and groups like Krewella, for example. This probably stems from two things. First, dance music is also fast paced and can be intense in its own way…it can even be mixed with metal music. I love remixed dance versions of metal songs. Second, I thoroughly enjoy dancing and clubbing. Not only do I go dancing at clubs, I exercise at home by dancing sometimes. Plus I enjoy running to dance music more than metal. So for these reasons, I listen to dance music. It gets me pumped up in the same way that metal does.

Now here comes my secret… Within the past few months, I have come to enjoy another genre of music. The reason I don’t talk about it is because it kind of shatters my metal image. BUT, I am who I am, I’m not ashamed, and I know I’m still metal at heart. So here it is: I am in the early stages of becoming a K-Pop junkie! I never thought it was possible for me to be into boy bands again, but it’s happening, and here’s why: KOREAN IDOLS ARE SO FREAKING HOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTT!! It’s like these perfect little gems fell from heaven, landed on earth, and transformed into walking Asian gods! Like literally, I have become so interested in Korean culture ever since visiting South Korea, listening to K-Pop, watching Korean dramas, and making Korean friends. Even when I was in college, I always thought hangul (the Korean writing system) was super awesome. If I ever study another language besides Japanese, it’s going to be Korean. I definitely want to be able to write stuff in Korean before I die.

So let me elaborate a little more. Yes, I think the main reason I like K-Pop these days (and like I said, I’m still in really early stages. I only know a few bands) is because these dudes are gorgeous. I haven’t got into any female singers or groups yet…and I don’t know if I ever will because 75% of the reason I like these K-Pop groups is because of the hot guys. The first true K-Pop I heard was “Fantastic Baby” by BIGBANG at a dance club. I thought it was catchy, and I seemed to hear it every time I was at a club. The song is kind of old, but it’s still extremely popular (the Youtube music video has over 95 million views!!!!!!!  Almost a billion!). So I watched the Youtube video and bought the song on iTunes. I was mesmerized by the video. Korean idols tend to be so flashy and have an edgy look to them. For a while, my interest in K-Pop didn’t really take off. Eventually I decided I was sick of only listening to the one BIGBANG song. So I watched more videos on Youtube, and to be honest, the music just wasn’t really my style. However, I found myself coming back to the videos again and again because I wanted to see these guys’ beautiful faces. I grew to know some of the songs and started to like a few. I think my favorite song by BIGBANG is “Tonight.” For a while, I was satisfied just listening to a few BIGBANG songs and Google imaging their pictures lol. When I went to Korea, I bought some of their merchandise, and I seriously felt like a little kid again obsessed with NSYNC. It was kind of nostalgic. I can now recall the feeling again of thinking someone is so perfect that it hurts. It’s like this weird obsession. You want everything with their face on it.

So my other reasons for liking K-Pop besides the hot guys are that 1) it continues to fuel my sprouting interest in Korea, 2) it gives me something to bond over with my junior high school students lol, and 3) there are some good songs. Honestly, a lot of the songs just don’t do it for me, but if I can look at these hot men singing the songs, then somehow it’s ok haha! The more I listen to the music, the more I start to like some of the songs though. I think that the reason I actually do like a handful of songs is because a lot of them are basically dance/club music. So I do actually really like those kinds of songs.

Also, I want to point out that K-Pop bands are really great at singing in different languages. Since K-Pop is super popular in Japan, K-Pop artists sometimes sing parts in Japanese or even make Japanese songs or alternate Japanese versions of their Korean songs! How nice! Also, because it’s “cool” and K-Pop bands aim to be multi-culturally popular, they often sing parts in English as well. I must say that Korean English sounds so much better than Japanese English. Their pronunciation is more beautiful in my opinion (sorry Japan, you know I still love you). Which by the way, I haven’t explored much J-Pop…seems like maybe I should since I could probably understand what they are saying! Now I’m kind of curious as to why I got into K-Pop before J-Pop…maybe Kyari Pamyu Pamyu turned me off to Japanese pop music before I could give it a fair chance haha! We shall see…

Some bands I have been listening to in like the past month or two are of course BIGBANG and others like B.A.P, 2PM, CNBLUE, SHINee, and solo stuff from BIGBANG’s members. I am open to some suggestions! Like I said, I’m just beginning to get into this kind of music, so I welcome recommendations. Here are some links to some Youtube videos/songs I like:

“Tonight” by BIGBANG (my favorite song by them)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d5QEWdHchk

“Fantastic Baby” by BIGBANG (the first K-Pop song I heard)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAbokV76tkU

“Doom Dada” by T.O.P (T.O.P’s voice is so handsomely deep and the bass in this song is ridiculous!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAoME_aMm1w

“Ringa Linga” by Taeyang (This song makes me wana dance dirty haha.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJfZ69MSlvY

“Hands Up” by 2PM (I literally want to be at the club in this video because it looks so fun! Also, I want their clothes for myself lol.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgrB2KBZws4

“One Shot (Japanese Version)” by B.A.P (These guys are badass! This is the Japanese version of their song.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaG1gDyjFTk

I found this store the other day in the shontengai (covered shopping arcade) of Shinsaibashi. It’s called I <3 韓流. 韓流 (はんりゅう) means “influx of South Korean pop culture (into Japan).” The fact that there is a word for that should tell you how popular Korean stuff is in Japan (even if I just saw a huge protest the other day about Japanese people being pissed at Koreans over territorial disputes). I spent like 45 minutes in there just gawking at all the sexy men. I bought two folders and a calendar hehe! I already want to go back! I swear I must have been one of the only foreigners to ever enter that shop because when I went up to pay, the two owners of the store were like freaking out and thanking me so much haha! I’m almost certain they were Korean, but they said thank you to me in Japanese and English. I wanted to say thank you back in Korean since that’s like one of the only three Korean phrases I know, but I didn’t wana risk sounding like an ass if they weren’t Korean.

Here's the store entrance. It's kind of near
Shakey's.

Inside the store.

Close up.

My purchases.

So lastly, I’m going to share my obsession with you. Here are some pictures of the beauties:

This is Daesung. He is my favorite member of BIGBANG. He is the hottest in my opinion, especially when his hair is dyed blonde. His voice is really beautiful. Oddly enough, he is probably the least popular of the five members in terms of looks. I guess Japanese and American taste in men is different. My students are always shocked when I say I like him the most. They complain that his eyes are too small/narrow which apparently equals unsexy. I told them that that doesn’t matter to me lol. As I’m writing this, I want to post so many pictures of him because I can’t decide which one I like the best…they are all beautiful!! I’m literally crazy!

So I'll give you one more blonde of him.

...and brunette for good measure.

This is BIGBANG. From left to right: Daesung, Seungri,
Taeyang, G-Dragon, and T.O.P. They all do solo stuff too.

T.O.P's voice is so deep, and he is so tall and manly. :)

This is B.A.P. When they first debuted, they all had their hair
dyed platinum blonde...me likey!

This is another picture of B.A.P. Me still likey!

This is 2PM. Dear lord. Actually, this shirtless picture doesn't
really portray them well. They are kind of goofy/silly.

...but they look so good shirtless! 2PM = HAWT!

This is Jung Yong Hwa. I first saw him in a funny Korean
drama called, "You're Beautiful (English title)."

This is a picture for the drama "You're Beautiful."

Turns out he is the guitarist in a group called CNBLUE. His
band mates are equally as hot.

Meet My Friend Laura

Laura and Stephanie.

We are cool, and we know it.

This is my friend, Laura, and I. We met in college because we were both studying Japanese together. She is so smart, and I would always ask her for help with our homework. Both of our lives seem to revolve around Japan. Finally, even though she lives in Tokyo, we are both living in Japan at the same time! I got to visit her up in Tokyo last summer. Unfortunately, she came to Osaka while I was back in America for Christmas (which by the way, this post is a little out of order…the timing of this post is between my Christmas vacation post and my Hokkaido one). However, it worked out to where one of our days overlapped. So I got to have a nice little night out and sleepover with my friend. J

One bonus about our friendship is that neither of us eats meat. So when we go out to eat, it’s always really nice. She is good at finding places that have vegetarian options. We went to this shabu shabu chain that has a yasai tabehoudai course (all you can eat vegetables). We used soy milk as our broth. It was so nice! After, we got frozen yogurt. What a short but sweet little visit. Can’t wait to see her again!

Yasai tabehoudai.

Perfect winter dinner. :)

Dating Culture?

This post sort of has two purposes. First, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about dating in Japan. Second, I want to tell you about my possible TV debut. Since the TV thing is easier to explain, I’ll start with that first.

My friend Kohei, the one that works at Balabushka, informed my friends and I that a TV show called 「今ちゃんの実は．．．」would be coming to the bar to do interviews with foreign girls living in Japan. He asked if we could show up to be interviewed. I was kind of nervous because I didn’t know if I’d have to speak in Japanese or not, and I didn’t know what the interview would be about. Plus, I’ve never been on TV. However, Kohei seemed like he was worried about people showing up, so I agreed to go.

When I got there, I hung out with my friends until the interviewer showed up. He asked me to come into the back room. He told me that I didn’t have to speak in Japanese and that the interview would be about my thoughts on Japanese men hitting on foreign women. The woman holding the camera was really close to my face, and the man doing the interview was also shining a bright light right at my face. I was kind of nervous and embarrassed. It was hard to concentrate and answer his questions thoughtfully, but I did my best!

He asked my questions like, “What do you think when the first question a Japanese guy asks you is ‘Where are you from?’” and “How is a more natural way to start a conversation?” He also interviewed three of my friends. My friend Rachel who speaks Japanese really well did the interview in Japanese!! I heard from my friend Joe that he had also seen the people doing interviews at other bars too. So what I’m getting at is that if I even do appear on the show, I will probably only be on it for a few seconds. We shall see! It’s kind of exciting nonetheless. The episode airs on channel 6 on February 5^th (as in tomorrow!) at 11:17 at night to 12:17 lol.

Two handsome men with the interviewees. 

So the next part of this post has to do with my thoughts (mainly my frustrations) and experiences with dating (well attempting to date) Japanese men. When I say “dating” I mean just that. I don’t mean boyfriend and girlfriend; I just mean texting and going places together.

Ever since my previous boyfriend and I broke up, I have discovered this new world of dating. I have always jumped from one boyfriend to the next, and right now is the longest I’ve been single since I was like 15 years old! I have never experienced dating culture until now. Let me just say, I imagine it’s confusing and complicated enough to date people within your own culture who speak the same language as you, but dating Japanese guys has been so confusing for me! At the same time, it’s been kind of fun too. If nothing else, at least I get some good Japanese practice out of it.

The dating culture here seems to have a whole set of different rules that I don’t quite understand. For example, I don’t really understand the “confession thing.” I also feel like there are all these set phrases people who are dating use in certain situations that seem fake, but then again Japanese people have aisatsu (set phrases/greetings) for everything haha! I just can’t see Japanese guys’ true feelings because it seems like they are just saying what they are “supposed to say.” Also, Japanese people in general are known to be indirect. Of course the language barrier can be difficult sometimes too.

Here are my two main thoughts. First, it is relatively easy for me to attract men since I’m a “stereotypical” foreigner to the Japanese; you know…blue eyes, white skin, light hair…which are desired traits. However, my second thought is that none of these men actually want a relationship with a foreigner, they just want to “you-know-what,” or they just want to know what it’s like to be with a foreigner. Now I know this isn’t completely true. I have a few friends who are in serious relationships with Japanese men, but it just seems kind of rare. On the other hand, there are LOADS of Japanese girls with foreign guys. I often wonder why this is, and all around I get that same answer that Japanese men are too shy, especially with foreign girls. Sigh… I would really like some input on this! Do you really think it’s true that Japanese guys generally are interested in dating foreign girls but are just too shy? If that’s the case, then why have all my attempts failed? I tend to initiate dates because I assume they are too shy to ask me themselves. Maybe my stronger personality scares them off haha!

There have been a few guys that I’ve been on dates with who’ve seemed different (as in they seem interested in more than just doing the dirty), but it has fallen through each time for different reasons. My friend Shawn provided me with some wisdom that might be true. He said something along the lines of, “It’s hard for people to settle in the city. There’re too many people to choose from.” I feel like this may be true. I wonder how it would really be if I did get a boyfriend. Maybe it would be hard for me to settle too.

Anyway, I am enjoying just meeting new people and feeling the excitement of possibilities. I miss some of the comforts of having an actual boyfriend, but this whole dating life thing is still very new and exciting to me, and maybe it’s better to keep experiencing it a bit longer before jumping in to anything. It’s not like I need a boyfriend right now or anything like that. I’m not in some big hurry. I’ll admit that living in Japan has turned me on (no pun intended) to the idea of dating a Japanese guy, but it’s not like it’s some goal or criteria I have. I just don’t want to be saddened by the possible reality that Japanese guys just aren’t into me. Maybe I just need to find the right person…or maybe I don’t need to find anyone. Who knows where I’ll be in a few years.

So maybe this post is a little personal. I don’t usually want to share these thoughts with everyone, but I am genuinely interested in hearing peoples’ thoughts and advice on this matter. Also, I have probably said this before, but the purpose of this blog is not only to give people insight on what living in Japan is really like, but for my own memories. This blog is kind of like a public journal. I want to be able to come back and read these posts later and remember myself at this time in my life. I kind of wish I would’ve kept a journal my whole life. I think you can learn a lot about yourself through your own writing. It’ll be interesting to see if/how I change in the future.

*I'm writing this a month or so later...so I ended up appearing on the show! Here is a link to the video I took of the TV haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3iH_sp-AzM