Friday August 14, 8:28 a.m.

It's one of those in-and-out transitions today. Both Speedy and I had left the office at 11 last night and I was back in by before 8. The steamy Tokyo nights are back as well....I was peeling off my clothes to take a well-needed shower. To try and get some decent sleep despite the heat and humidity, I followed some methods that I'd seen on that TBS info show, "Hanamaru Market" yesterday morning; the theme was on just that....how to survive the night without sweating to death. I put my fan near my feet (I did take a shower so there wouldn't be any risk of death by foot odor) and had the flow bounce off the closet so that there would be forced air circulation, and I didn't bother to drink anything cold since that would effectively turn off the sweating mechanism. It worked pretty well; despite the fact that I only got 5 hours of sleep, I don't feel too badly.

However, Speedy may not be feeling too good right now. He all but conceded that perhaps our days are numbered here at our current location. The school has been suffering financially....a lot of it due to the current financial malaise. Students are simply not renewing. Although he hasn't officially started yet, he's now thinking about alternate locations such as on a major train line which would mean higher rents. It would be a pity, but frankly I can't see us staying in the Nakano area either. The neighbourhood is pretty much dead at night, and heck, we lost one of the cheapest and nicest Chinese restaurants a couple of years ago. The bossman is also considering drastically changing direction, including even becoming a kids' school (gulp). If so, adios.

Sad sign of the times....apparently, there was an actual mugging in my city of Ichikawa, and not too, too far away from my neck of the woods. Some psycho with a metal bat managed to break a kid's arm and run off with about 15,000 yen last night. Times are tough, and so the especially weak-minded will take the easy way out...on someone else's head. Back in Toronto, every time I came home at midnight, I always kept a good eye on my surroundings for anything bad. I may have to do that now here as well.

Despite my early arrival, I've only got The Nurse in about an hour and that will be all she wrote for me for the entire weekend. Yep, real quiet week.

Finally got through the "Verified by Visa" process. I kept getting rejected by the computer for some reason when it came to my information to the extent that I was wondering if the name should be "Harassed by Visa" instead. However, after three phone calls, last night's operator came through for me.

Thursday August 13, 8:51 p.m.

Nearly finished my lone busy day of the week. Got through Miss Sedona, The Bow, Mr. TOEIC and The Carolinan. Now it'll just be The Music Man in 20 minutes. We're approaching the end of Miss Sedona's time with us. She only has about 4 more lessons and she hasn't given any indication whether she'll bother hanging on for the next few months before she takes off for The Great White North. She has been with us for over a year...kinda hard to believe that this was the shy pharmacist who was itching to visit San Francisco and Sedona, Arizona.

The Bow has been doing OK at her new job although she's been complaining that there has been a war of sorts amongst staff who want and don't want the AC on. As for Mr. TOEIC, he had a nice time resting up in his home prefecture of Fukushima; definitely came in today looking all summery instead of his usual suit. And the good news with The Carolinan is that she's secured a position with the company that's gonna take over her old one...well, at least it's OK news for her. She has some second thoughts whether she wants to continue there for much longer.

The O-Bon holidays officially started today, and the highways look it. 54 km-long traffic jams have certainly contributed to the parking lot-like atmosphere of holiday commuting.

Thursday August 13, 12:26 p.m.

May not be too easy to see, but there are several small jellyfish swimming around in the waters surrounding the vessel "Nippon Maru" in the Minato Mirai harbour of Yokohama. Just caught them with my eye while I was taking a walk around the vessel. There was a bit of an ethereal beauty to them but I don't particularly want to find out if someone falls into the water.

We've been having a problem with jellyfish. There have been some humoungous ones playing havoc with fishermen's nets recently. These things look like Portuguese Man O' Wars...these jellies look like the Spacedock from the "Star Trek" movies and are probably a whole lot more lethal. I'm kinda wondering if the fishermen should just switch from catching plain bluefin tuna and go for the jellyfish...which make a fine appetizer at Chinese buffets and courses.

I've got Miss Sedona in about 15 minutes. She's had to do two tests before she goes onto the next text. I hope she did pretty well. Then, I gotta rush out to the Shinjuku Starbucks to see The Bow and then rush on back for back-to-back lessons with Mr. TOEIC and The Carolinan. The only real respite I'll have is after The Carolinan and before The Music Man.

Wednesday August 12, 8:37 p.m.

To the left of me is the quake report map from early Tuesday morning when that M6.6 came rumbling by. Honshu looked like it had a skin condition. I showed this to 001 during the break; she pointed out that the bottom right hand corner bunch of kanji was her city, Sagamihara. The other three are areas in Yokohama.

The person in charge of earthquakes for the government gave his press conference as he usually does after a major temblor. He insisted that yesterday's rumble was not a sign of the approaching Tokai Earthquake, the Big One that is supposed to be crashing into the area....which only makes one wonder: if the quake on Tuesday wasn't the sign, then how much stronger is the next one going to be?

Over the weekend, I actually caught an oldie of sorts: the original "Back to the Future". It still holds up remarkably aware despite the very 80s references to Huey Lewis & The News, the DeLorean time machine and Pepsi Free. It's just too bad that its 2 sequels didn't quite make the cut. In a way, it was a precursor of the fate for "The Matrix": great original, so-so sequels.

Wednesday August 12, 8:21 p.m.

Well, 001 has come and gone. And The Fashion Designer has cancelled her lesson for tonight. So, I'm basically done. I'll head on home in about an hour...just want to let those rush hour commuters go home ahead of me. But then I hear that the O-Bon holidays have started so there may not be too big a rush tonight.

Getting back to NorikoGate...I think the biggest image of the week concerning this sad story will be the one taken a few years ago in which Noriko Sakai was in natty dreads and other assorted DJ wear including the mandatory huge earphones around her neck, just dancing about like a reject from EXILE on speed. Then again, maybe she was. Or so the media would like to have us believe. The assorted talking heads on the wide shows have been building up their own case to indict the singer way before she ever sees a courtroom. No surprise there....gotta rake in the ratings, y'know. They've even gone into overdrive over the fact that she's had some tattoos emblazoned on her ankle and ring finger. To hear them describe it, it would sound that the tattoos automatically label her as a mass murderer. The New Yorker has far larger tattoos all over her person, and she's one of the mildest-mannered students I've ever known. Having said that, though, this is a country where, despite the slowly growing acceptance of tattoos as a fashion accessory, tattoos are still frequently seen as a bad news signal of yakuza and teen gangs. Still, I'd hardly mistake Nori-P as a thugette.

Wednesday August 12, 5:50 p.m.

Ahhh...the mess that is NorikoGate. There's been quite some movement since last week. Noriko Sakai, aidoru, actress....drug addict, has gone from poor missing person to crystal meth celeb gone haywire in just a few days.

The hyperactive mass media just went into warp drive late last week when the police suddenly threw out that arrest warrant for a person who had once been the top aidoru in J-Pop on a Hello, Kitty scale. Especially on Saturday night, when even the usually near-Vulcan-like newscasters of NHK, announced breathlessly...twice...about her turning herself in at a Tokyo police station. There was an even larger crowd in front of Shibuya Police Station, consisting of rubberneckers and journalists, than the usual hordes at JR Shinjuku at midnight. And of course, there was the de rigueur snapshot of the guilty party in the police van just looking straight down. I was just wondering about if this were the same Noriko Sakai who had come up with her own cute Nori-P diabetes-inducing dialect 20 years ago.

In the last few days, the J-Pop equivalent of "The Fugitive" has turned into a mix of "Kramer Vs. Kramer" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde". There has been a "he said/she said" quality injected into the ugliness between Sakai and her separated husband, Yuichi Takaso about when and how often she had started sniffing the weird stuff. And just as often as her old teen footage has been popping up on the screens, there has also been film footage of her in a totally different light, especially one 10-second shot of her at at disco, just going absolutely nuts as a guest DJ. Nope, kinda hard to believe that this was the same girl who had looked like a human character for "Hello, Kitty" but then again, she debuted over 20 years ago.

More analysis later....

Wednesday August 12, 5:21 p.m.

Well, I did make that mini-trip to Yokohama a couple of days ago. It was actually more of a day trip with a night stay at a hotel. My mini-trip became a mini mini-trip thanks to a couple of uninvited guests: Typhoon 9 and a M6.6 temblor just off the coast of Shizuoka.

When I got to JR Sakuragicho Station at about noon on Monday, the rains were pouring down like the 40 days, 40 nights Noah's Ark type of thing. Ended up spending about an hour at a Starbucks right under the Sakuragicho Washington Hotel before taking a recce around Minato Mirai for another hour. Then, I checked in...the Washington was as it had been advertised: small, but clean and convenient. No frills at all unlike the Pan Pacific where I'd stayed some years before. But after having stayed there, then the Hyatt in Seoul and the Mandarin in Hong Kong, I think I'm no longer in thrall toward high-end accomodations anymore. A businesss hotel suits me just fine.

Took a walk down the main street from Sakuragicho towards Chinatown about a couple of kilometres away. I'm not sure if it's because I've become totally accustomed to Tokyo, but I got the impression that the streets of Yokohama have a crisper feel in terms of urban planning...kinda like Sapporo. It made for a nice walk while gaining an appetite.

I ended up going to the same Chinese buffet restaurant that I'd gone to a few years ago. Strangely enough, I was once again the very first customer in the place when it opened at 5. It was eerie...and slightly pathetic...being the only one in the place for at least 15 minutes picking up dishes with the waitresses looking on ("OMG! It's that fat guy from 3 years ago....doesn't he know anything about being fashionably late!"). The food was fine with me, but it just strikes me as being a bit odd that during my 90 minutes there, there would only be a grand total of 10 customers including me. A bit sad....so I figured that the next time I'll try some other place.

I walked back up to my hotel from Chinatown via Yamashita Park in the evening. Took some good shots of Chinatown but for some reason, I just couldn't take any good ones of the nightscape of Minato Mirai. All of the pictures came out looking like all the buildings were heading off at warp speed.

Had a good night's sleep but then at 5:07 a.m. on Tuesday morning, I was "gently" awakened by a Shindo 4 quake. There was a Shindo 6 Minus (M6.6 in magnitude) temblor off of Shizuoka. So, Norikogate had competition with Shizuoka Quake for the rest of that day on the news channels. No particular damage to me or the surroundings in my hotel, but I remarked rather ruefully that that was probably the only time I'll ever experience any bed shaking in my hotel room...ahem. The breakfast buffet, by the way, was OK but not spectacular.

Because of the quake and Typhoon 9, I actually headed straight home after checking out. A bit premature about my decision, as it turned out, since when I reached back to Chiba, the sun was back out brilliantly. Ah, well. In any case, I'll just consider that mini mini-trip a Part 1 with Part 2 to follow in either the fall or early next year. I still have to visit Motomachi, the Ramen Museum and take one of those bay cruises.

Saturday August 8, 3:37 p.m.

Finished my Saturday rounds with The Intellectual, The Publicity Assistant and Mr. TOEIC. With the first two, I did broach the topic of NorikoGate with them. The PA, who is kinda sorta in the know about these sorts of things, started weaving a story of intrigue about the background of Ms. Sakai. It was all kinda hard to believe considering Noriko's public persona but I'm waiting to see if any of her claims can be verified. The PA's kinda hoping that there will be an O.J. Simpson-like car chase, although the thought of a former aidoru trying to race down the opposite lanes of the Kan-Etsu like in the final scenes of "Ronin" are rather hard to imagine.

Feeling pretty beat so I'll make my way home in about 20 minutes before the rains start coming down on my laundry.

Saturday August 8, 10:27 a.m.

WHAT?!

That was my initial reaction yesterday afternoon, after having returned from my lesson with The Bass, and catching the news on what used to be known as Noriko Watch Day 4 and what is now known as NorikoGate.

At about 11 a.m., the police announced that former aidoru-turned-actress Noriko "Nori-P" Sakai was no longer just a missing person but was now a suspect in the case involving her separated husband, Yuichi Takaso, who'd been nabbed on Sunday in Shibuya (where else?) for drug possession. Apparently Nori-P has been into the stuff as well, and police found paraphernalia in her condo in Minami-Aoyama. As the local media has been saying ad nauseum from yesterday, the poor wife has now become the target. And the newspapers haven't been shy in their headlines. I've seen tabloids like Tokyo Sports screaming "Nori-P! Fugitive!" I can just hear the theme song from the David Janssen show right now.

Pretty much every station, even NHK, has used the trials and tribulations of Noriko Sakai to lead off their news. As I was channel-switching at one point yesterday afternoon and early evening, just about everywhere I tuned in to had the image of the pretty young woman sashaying girlishly while the pundits were talking about drug abuse and escape from justice. As the media would put it, this story has the legs of a marathon runner. Sakai is obviously not the first J-celeb to have been caught smoking the weed, but the fact that she has cultivated an image of a squeaky clean and cute performer for over 20 years, only to be found that she's not only on the stuff but on the lam has gotten everyone in this country talking. And beyond, too. Sakai is also popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. As a typhoon was pummelling into Taiwan, the newscaster was breathlessly talking about NorikoGate. It'll definitely be a stop-the-presses moment if and when she's caught.

Could be quite the topic for discussion with the students today.

Thursday August 6, 5:14 p.m.

Very much an anti-Hump Day today since I've only got Music Man in the last slot tonight. Woke up late at 9 a.m. (and for me on a weekday, that is very late) and just lounged about. However, I did see half of "Basic Instinct"; strangely enough, I'd never seen Sharon Stone's magnum opus before. Paul Verhoeven certainly pulls in the violence of "Total Recall" and the sex from "Showgirls" into this one with tons of profanity.

Spent the interlude between 001 and The Fashion Designer last night to research and then finally book the hotel for Yokohama. I cruised through the Rakuten site and found the Yokohama Sakuragicho Washington Hotel for an inexpensive 8,000 yen. Compared to the last place in Yokohama I'd stayed at a few years ago, the Pan Pacific, the cost is just a fraction and the amenities are pretty slim (the Washington chain is basically a business hotel), but then again I'm close to all points that I would like to see again, such as Chinatown and Minato Mirai 21, and I don't really need all those frills. The reviews by foreign guests have been pretty praiseworthy of it: simple, clean and convenient....and with a decent breakfast buffet. All I need.

The Fashion Designer has signed up for another 4 lessons...for the past year she's been with us, she's always bought her lessons at 4 per. As Speedy would say, not the most economically sensible payment plan for someone who's been studying for several months. However, she did manage to intimate through her oft-garbled speech (she was especially sleepy last night) that this would be the last batch she does before she decides to finish with us. So, probably another student biting the dust in another month. However, as for me, the bossman has said that some of the students of that departing teacher may be put into my field.

Well, NHK was on the case on the very first trial done with lay judges. Looks like the verdict came in at 2:30, and the defendant got 15 years for murder.

Noriko Sakai and her son are still missing. Apparently, a cellphone signal had been picked up in Yamanashi Prefecture before the phone was turned off. In a somewhat ominous tone that the tabloids here haven't failed to notice is that the prefecture is also home to a group of woods infamous as an ideal haven for suicides.

Wednesday August 5, 4:55 p.m.

The photo on the left was taken in the plaza bracketed by JR Yurakucho Station and the new Itocia Mall. If you look at the centre of the picture, you may see some woman with a microphone trying to ask a gaggle of women a question. Yep, even in this country, there are always reporters trying to get some sort of opinion from the hoi polloi. However, unlike in the States or Canada, where such reporters risk being berated or worse by the approached, a lot of the folks here will just suddenly walk away at an increased rate of speed or immediately hide their faces...in an ostrich's head-in-the-sand sort of way...and spurt off. The lady nearest the female journo apparently was trying to use her paper fan in that manner.

Apparently, the missing Noriko Sakai has been tracked down...or up...in the wilds of Yamanashi Prefecture. Film at 11, no doubt...or if you're a TV Asahi watcher...at 10.

Amidst all this entertainment-based hoopla concerning the fates of Noriko Sakai and Manabu Oshio, there actually has been coverage of the first trial held in Japan with laymen judges. Yes, since Monday, six regular citizens have been bracketing the three professional judges with a few more behind as reservists to hear a murder case. Well, it's definitely interesting....unlike the jurors in the American justice system, the lay judges can actually pose questions to witness and defendant alike.

Well, I've popped the question to the bossman about possibly getting the night off on Monday for Yokohama. Medicine Man has decided to have his next lesson on the 17th, and The Full-Timer will probably won't be available for a few weeks at least, and since the juku is on holidays next week, I thought I would take advantage of the lull. And according to the Rakuten website, there are still quite a few rooms amongst the hotels in Yokohama.

Wednesday August 5, 12:44 p.m.

I've been getting a few compliments on this photo so I decided to post it up here as well. Kinda cheated on it by using the "sunset" option on my digital camera but taking some poetic license is never a bad thing. It's just a shot of the Cocoon and some other skyscrapers from in front of JR Shinjuku Station. I was heading back from The Bow's class when I saw the opportunity and took it. Maybe if I even sent it into METROPOLIS...

Looks like Slick Willie still has it...the former US President just flew into North Korea and got those journalists out of Kim Jong Il's labour camps faster than he could usher Monica Lewinsky out the back door of the White House. Supposedly this was done as a "private mission", but if anyone believed that, they would be eligible for all that wonderful land in the Everglades.

There may be an opportunity to get that one night in Yokohama sooner than expected. Next Tuesday, the juku is on O-Bon holidays and Medicine Man has decided to eschew his usual slot on Monday night, and with The Full-Timer burning the midnight oil at work, I may just have a very long weekend coming up. But I've gotta check my account. The Cornerette has said that the money is on the way, but...

Wednesday August 5, 10:11 a.m.

Well, even Noriko Sakai's family have said they don't know where she is. So now even I am a little worried.

Had a little trouble with the Internet for about several minutes.

Grandma Fado has come in with some more treats. This time, it's peaches.

Wednesday August 5, 8:16 a.m.

The somewhat different summer continues in The Big Sushi. Usually a Tokyo August day starts off with a lot of brilliant sun and me futilely plugging up the leaks in my pores with a drenched handkerchief. Not today...it's been the seemingly 2009 default of gloomy sky and no such attempt to take out my square of cloth. It's not exactly cool out there but neither is it hot. Just enough warmth to let us know that...yes, it is officially summer.

Last night at the juku, the boss told me that The Hungarian could pass muster in his debut on Saturday, and in fact, the mother of the kid he'd taught was quite enamored with him...or I should say...his ability. However, the boss also reported that she got internally aghast when he proclaimed in front of both mother and boss that he would be happy to just teach for free if need be. Ahhh...the idealism of the 20s. I reassured the boss that that would give way slowly to the practicality, realism and bitter cynicism of the 30s and 40s. Kinda ironic since I'd always thought that the juku boss was more of that up-with-people type of personality. However, since the operation last year, she's become a bit more down-to-earth.

My Hump Day isn't nearly as bad as was originally scheduled. Got word from The Admin that she has to cancel today's lesson due to a business trip. So, instead of the 2-cafe day, it'll just be the 1 cafe with The New Yorker. I still drank down a Ripobitan D just in case. BTW, I also received word from The Full-Timer that she would like to have my lessons but it looks like her search for work was rewarded a bit too well....she told me that she's had to work until 10:30 at night since she started last week. Join the club...we have jackets.

Ahhhh....those poor Nori-P fans must be praying right now. After the news broke yesterday that her surfer dude husband got nailed for drug possession, it was then revealed that Noriko Sakai, the former aidoru-turned-actress, has now gone missing. Her tarento agency has been trying to contact her without success. I don't get the feeling that anything bad has happened to her; she's probably just gone to ground at her family's place or with friends so that she can absorb what's happened and then come up with a plan of action...such as rolling up that really thick newspaper to whack her spouse with.

I finally got word from The Cornerette that everything in the invoice is now OK and that The Corner will send over the money. So, that's one hurdle overcome. I'm still thinking about whether I will actually spend a night in Yokohama as a bit of a break this month. Still, seeing that things at Speedy's could be a bit lean not just for this month but for the foreseeable future, it may be more financially prudent to keep everything in the account. Still, there's a lot to be said about taking that overnight trip, and thanks to agencies such as Rakuten and Expedia, it's quite a bit cheaper to get a room even at some of the more expensive hotels.

Tuesday August 4, 1:22 p.m.

Humid as usual but the temps are only up to 27 C today...about as usual as a blizzard in Tokyo in winter. Still, I've got that pervasive sheen of humidity all over my body as would be expected on a summer day here.

Just got some errands out of the way. Mailed off the birthday card and present to my brother. I sent him "The Otaku Encyclopedia". Not that he's a plaid shirt-wearing, bespectacled anime geek but he watches the stuff occasionally when he can get some time off...which is very occasionally. I also sent off a belated birthday wish and happy housewarming card to The Entrepreneur.

The big news here in Japan has been the arrest of a young handsome actor who I'd never heard of before, although he's been in the biz apparently for the past decade (tells you how miha I've been lately). Manabu Oshio was nabbed for drug possession; nothing too exciting about that since that sort of news pops up now and then. However, police found a discovery of a decomposing nude female body in the same apartment that they had nabbed Oshio. Now, that's Fatty Arbuckle territory. He's been married (probably soon to be not married) to former flavor-of-the-early-part-of-the-decade actress Akiko Yada who hasn't been seen all that much. I can only imagine what she's going through right now...."I was dumped for a rotting corpse?!"

Then, for all those old Nori-P fans....Noriko Sakai's surfer dude husband also got nailed for drugs. No corpse there, though.

Well, luckily, the only excitement I'll have (knock on wood) tonight is just my usual juku classes. I gotta find out from the boss how The Hungarian did last weekend.

Monday August 3, 8:45 p.m.

Just found out through conversation that our other nighttime teacher will be heading Stateside permanently next week. It's been quite like the TARDIS recently here at Speedy's and at the juku. That is, at the end of a season. People stay awhile and then they're gone off somewhere else. Bay herself will be heading over to the States in a few months once her visa comes through to join her husband. And then I'm sure Ray and La Fille will probably head off on their own tracks while Speedy, the juku boss and I stay to mind the store.

Monday August 3, 7:13 p.m.

Yup, I'm such a glutton for punishment. That's another pickled grasshopper ready to be devoured by yours truly. You can see what remains of its legs towards the upper right hand corner. Feel free to barf anytime! The package still remains quite full in my fridge. I still maintain that they're not difficult to eat but they just don't go with anything during dinner. I mean, have you ever tried eating the stuff with your favourite wine? Pretend to be that snooty French waiter..."Would Monsieur prefer to have his locust with Chateau Neuf De Pap or Beaujolais Nouveau?" I guess sake would be the closest thing since it seems to be sold as an o-tsumami (snack food). But the only sake I can afford or get easily is of the rotgut variety...i.e. One Cup Ozeki. Selling for about 150~200 yen from the vending machines, Japan's equivalent of Chez Thunderbird will either put hair on your chest or have it fall out altogether...and hit you with a massive hangover if you're not careful. And as a throwback to the 70s, instead of the screwcap of Chez Thunderbird, One Cup Ozeki has an old-fashioned pull tab cap...just so that you can have that extra feeling of pain in your hand to help dull the pain that you'll feel later on.

I've been reading those two books by the Ferguson Bros; I finished "How To Be A Canadian" last weekend which was co-written by the boys, and I'm on the one that came before, "Why I Hate Canadians" written by Will Ferguson. While the sequel definitely has that absurdist humour flair, Will's solo effort comes off as being more dryly-humoured. If I were to use a CNN feature analogy, "Why I Hate Canadians" is the Jeanne Moos feature before the boys' version of "The Daily Show" via "How To Be A Canadian". Interesting reading.

Bay just came in with the latest gimmicky product in soft drinks. It's shiso-flavoured Pepsi. Yep, that leaf which pops up in Japanese cuisine like a cameo appearance with that strangely minty scent and taste. In my 20-year-old English-language Japanese cookbook, shiso has been just as strangely translated as "beefsteak plant", I guess because the myriad lines on the leaves reminded the author of the various perforations on a typical piece of beef. Frankly, I could've just said "the back of my hand" as a better translation.

Monday August 3, 4:27 p.m.

Midsummer is here. It's warm and humid, and the cicadas are hissing on schedule. However, gosh darn it, it just doesn't feel like a typically fiery Tokyo summer. For one thing, although I still sweat up like a fountain, it's merely warm and humid, not hot and humid. For another, the nights are still quite pleasant to sleep in. And the rain has been coming every other day. Nope, definitely not the same ol' Tokyo summer.
Since I just have the one lesson tonight with Medicine Man (yep, my only lesson starts at 9:30 p.m.), I decided to give my feet a workout and went down to Ginza. I had to buy a couple of birthday cards for both my brother and The Entrepreneur at Ito-Ya. I had my first and last buffet lunch in a while at that Hong Kong place in Ginza INZS. Filled myself up nice and tight. The reason I decided to take the gastronomic plunge was that I'd gotten the annual warning from Ichikawa City Hall that my checkup would soon be arriving. Luckily, they recommended that I take it in the month of my birth and not in August...which means I have a chance of getting my weight down so that at least I could give some sort of semblance that I actually tried.

After I devoured my share of sho ron po and chow mein, I waddled out and made a first stop in the INZS branch of HMV. I guess for those guys, the Michael Jackson tribute is still continuing. "We Are The World" was playing on the speakers and video screens. Ray Charles still brings shivers up my spine but can you actually imagine having to listen to it all day if you were staff there? By the end of the shift, one would probably want to emigrate to Neptune.

Took a lot of photos of Ginza...very photogenic. The one above is from the Yurakucho and Marunouchi border. I thought it was one of the major hotels, but it was actually the HQ of The Tokyo-Mitsubishi MUFG Bank. I wonder how much of our accounts went into its construction.

It's gonna be a really lean week. As I said, I only have Medicine Man. The Full-Timer never got back to me about whether she would be showing up so I'm assuming that she won't and may never will again. However, just so that she doesn't completely disappear, I sent a missive asking for confirmation that that was indeed the fact. Of course, since The Beehive is off for the summer, I've got nothing until the evening juku classes tomorrow. Wednesday, however, is gonna be a real Hump Day since I've got no less than Miss Prissy, Grandma Enka, The Admin, The New Yorker, 001 and finally The Fashion Designer on tap. Then it's back to virtually nothing on Thursday with only The Music Man in the last slot, and finally Friday is gonna be just The Bass followed by the 90 minutes with the juku boss, The Ace and The Restauranteur. I was a bit surprised to see that there has been no e-mail from The Cornerette although an entire weekend has passed by. Still no money from that translation exercise. Considering that I've lost a number of students and that it'll be a low-paying month, any money I get from The Cornerette will have to go into savings. Too bad...I was hoping to spend at least a night in Yokohama.

Back on Friday, that big dinner party at The Restauranteur's place happened with the juku bunch. It basically wasn't really a celebration of my 5th year at the juku, and I'm glad that the onus wasn't on that. Instead, it was just a getting-to-know-you party. Before the dinner, I finally met The Hungarian, the newest hire by the juku boss. He's all of 25 and looks like he just got demobbed from the army with his short haircut. Pretty amiable guy and fluent in Japanese and has a major love for cats, so you can imagine he just loves Toonces the Juku Cat to death, despite being majorly bitten and clawed. I guess he's kinda into masochism then. Anyways, when the three of us got there, The Milds and Mr. White had already arrived. Strangely, the couple and Mr. White kept apart...but then again without formal introductions, they may have well as been at separate tables...'tis a Japanese thing. The Ace showed up some minutes later, and of course, The Restauranteur got busy with our group and two other parties. It was a mellow event...just what I wanted. The juku boss threatened to confuse it a bit with her usual scatterbrainedness, and she cheerfully pleaded with us to tell her straight about any nuttiness on her part. I just kept quiet...usually the confusion just manages to flow over us like a wave and then everything smooths out. I had told everyone beforehand that we would do this izakaya style....that is, everyone shares dishes. And after all was said and done, the price came out to just 1,600 per head...the same price I usually pay when I go there. The juku boss, The Hungarian and I had a brief cup of coffee over at the school before we all parted ways. The Hungarian was supposed to have had his first lessons on Saturday with some kids and an adult student who could only come on the weekends, so I'm hoping that he passed muster.

I had my first full weekend off in a few weeks. So, after finishing off with The Nurse and before the juku party, I'd stopped off, as I occasionally do, in Nakano to take a look for some old CDs. Nothing at Otokichi but I managed to scrounge up 5 CDs for a hundred yen per disc. I actually saw one of those discs at Yamano Music selling for 30 times more, so I'm glad that I could get the bargain. I did see a number of French nationals cruising through the dingy hallways...they're so big on anime. On Saturday, I went over to Akihabara. The maids were there...amazing how they could keep their composure in the heat. Had what has become the local food in Akiba...the doner kebab. Now, there's a corner on the main drag which has three trucks selling kebab. Had my usual Big Boy with can of pop.

On Sunday, since I didn't have The Jyuppies, I was at home all day. I actually caught that old movie, "Sphere" based on the Michael Crichton novel. I'd never seen it when it came out a decade ago, and I'm kinda glad I didn't. I think the advertising was wrong...it wasn't a sci-fi adventure but just a haunted house mystery several fathoms below. A lot of plot holes there, too.

Well, with no Full-Timer and no word from The Cornerette, I really don't have all that much to do until Medicine Man comes in 4 hours. May just work on that project to save our company.

Friday July 31, 2:38 p.m.

In a holding pattern right now after having taught The Nurse. She was in good spirits today. Apparently, she'd met The Admin at the local supermarket. I don't think I particularly revealed anything by telling her that I teach her regularly on Wednesdays, although I'm not sure how many lessons The Nurse has left. But, as they say, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'll probably head on out in about 15 minutes. Since the dinner is at 7, I've got lots of time so I'll hit Nakano Broadway and see if they have any more cheap discs on display. Miss Sedona told me yesterday that she'd gone there to see her dentist whose offices are right in Otaku Central. She said that she felt rather uncomfortable; on a weekday afternoon, too. I could only imagine how she would feel if she ever had to go there on a weekend. Still not quite sure how this shindig is gonna turn out.

The Cornerette has yet to respond to my latest missive to her. I figure that she's on her weekend right now. Not to worry, though. I'd rather go into my long weekend with very little on my mind.

Friday July 31, 11:59 a.m.

It was just a few entries ago that I'd mentioned that this month only saw a quarter of its days considered as sunny. Well, as I was heading home last night, I was accosted by something that I would never have expected at the end of July....refreshing cool mist belted at me by the usual winds in Nakano-Sakaue. The term "air conditioner" never entered my mind as I went to bed and opened the window, and then when I woke up this morning. It felt more like May or October than mid-summer. The weather folks are now openly considering whether this summer will be known as a reika, or cold summer. Can't be too good for the farmers.

I just have The Nurse in about half an hour. And then that'll be it for nearly 4 days. However, I did have that talk with the bossman considering our current cash crunch. So we threw out some ideas and now I have to think about coming up with some seminar ideas for those clients planning to head on out to Canada on study-abroad programs.

Tonight's the night for the juku students to get together at The Restauranteur's restaurant for that dinner. Hope all goes well.

Thursday July 30, 5:57 p.m.

I haven't had one in a long time, but I ended up having a nicely empty afternoon of nothing but surfing through Facebook and Mixi. I haven't had one because I'd been grinding through that long translation project. Still getting through the negotiations about how much I should be making from it, but I'm not fretting too much. Ended up joining two more communities on Mixi, 80s New Wave and Early Miki Imai.

The bossman is having a discussion with the troops (aka Ray and La Fille). I decided to be Santa Claus again and bought a box of ice cream for the folks. I think after a hot day like this, and the ladies were still fanning themselves in the air-conditioned office, it is time for a treat.

I'm looking at a very long weekend. I just have The Nurse here tomorrow and then it's the dinner party at The Restauranteur's with the juku bunch. Then I have two full days of weekend, and then nothing on Monday until The Medicine Man at 9:30 p.m. It's looking like a pretty sparse month in August. I'd been thinking of using that translation money for perhaps a weekend in Yokohama, but I'm now thinking that it might be wiser to hold onto that cash for as long as possible.

Thursday July 30, 2:10 p.m.

It's been a very quiet week. Case in point, I only had my first Speedy lesson of the week this morning with Miss Sedona. I'd been in Monday and yesterday but in both cases, I only stopped in to check on the latest negotiation between me and The Cornerette before I headed off on my private lessons. On Wednesday, I only had The Admin and then The New Yorker in Ichigaya. I saw a campaign wagon for the Japan Communist Party drive up in front of the local koban there, and a candidate with a couple of folks jumped on top to give out their campaign rhetoric. It's truly one of the saddest sights to see when old folks wave frantically away while giving out their hopes for the future of Japan, only to be greeted by disinterest. Mind you, they are Communists and they have as much hope to get into the driver's seat as a Neo-Nazi Party.

In any case, I had a very rare Wednesday night off since 001 decided to cancel once more. Looks like she'll be preferring biweekly sessions although she hasn't come out and said so directly to the bossman. I was able to actually catch some prime time television (and managed to survive with most of my brain cells intact). Found out that the World Cup of Rugby will be heading over here to Japan in a decade. I do wonder what that will mean for Tokyo's Olympic chances.

After Miss Sedona, I'll be waiting for the next several hours until The Music Man has his lesson here at 9:15. During my holdover, I'll be waiting for the next missive from The Cornerette, and probably a talk with Speedy about what to do to bring in more students on pain of bankruptcy.

My suspicions were confirmed during the weather forecast last night. July 2009 will go down as one of the gloomiest Julys in history. Only a quarter of the month had any sort of sun which will raise havoc with the crops this Fall. I did notice that there has been a lot more rain than usual.

Ray told me that Grandma Dynamite has asked for two lessons in the last two weeks of August. Hopefully, her attitude has brightened considerably.

Thursday July 30, 1:48 p.m.

It's been quite The Summer of Celebrity Deaths. Yesterday was no different. Woke up early on Wednesday morning to find out that Japanese pop singer, Kaori Kawamura, had passed away at the youthful age of 38.
In my own little world, I've started to make comparisons between her untimely death with that of the much more famous Michael Jackson. Not to diminish The King of Pop's passing, but even the man himself admitted to his first wife that he wouldn't be long for this world and that the news of his death would be one for the record books. And that's what it was. Pure pop spectacle...right from those early reports of him being sent to hospital right to the performance funeral service in an arena which could hold tens of thousands.
On the other hand, Kawamura's passing was truly sad and poignant. Some years ago, she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer which necessitated a single mastectomy. Unfortunately, the cancer came back and finally did her in on Tuesday. She'd had her last hurrah in early May with a concert. But it was just yesterday that a video log of the hell that she'd had to go through to get back onto that stage was released to Fuji-TV. In it, she told of the horrors of chemo but also her defiance in ensuring that the show would go on. She looked truly different from that teenage girl with the pale beauty (she was half-Russian) and punkish hairdo which seemed to make up half of the female demographic's choice in cuts back in the late 80s. Kawamura not only had that slightly rumpled look of a mother, but also a haggard look of someone who's aged a lot faster than would be considered fair.
I was surprised to find out that she'd been the original singer of "Zoo", her debut single in 1988; I'd thought that the tune was made many years later and sung by actress Miho Kanno and one other pro singer during the airing of one of her dramas. I first knew about her during my days on the JET Programme when she provided a couple of tunes for a popular variety show 20 years ago. One is being shown in the picture, "Tsubasa wo Kudasai" (Give Me Wings). That song was one of those hoary tunes which had to be sung at those annual high school singing contests. Kawamura gave it a rock twist which got it a bit more respect.
However, unlike some of her contemporaries, she never became a huge superstar and she quickly faded into the obscurity of late 80s J-Pop history. I caught her once several years ago on late-night TV while she was doing a stint as a DJ at some dance club but that was about it. Then came the news a few days ago. What made it even more poignant was not just the vlog of her truly suffering for her art but her authoring of a book written for her little daughter...notes about her life and wisdom that her daughter won't truly understand until later.

Tuesday July 28, 2:05 p.m.

A transition is coming into place on a number of fronts. August is just around the corner so of course, the number of students coming into my view has been decreasing steadily. The Beehive is off for the summer, as is SIL. Also, before I got my latest pay pack, Speedy brought me into the office and told me that things aren't looking too good for the school right now. There haven't been any new students for the past few months; I've noticed I haven't been getting any model lesson requests. Not that I've been complaining....I treat model lessons like I treat medical checkups....they may be necessary but I try avoiding them if I can. In any case, the bossman has once again asked me for any ideas to keep the school up and running. He's done this before over the past five years I've been associated with Speedy. Back then, it was the usual wailing of "Woe is me"...just the bossman letting off steam. But this time, he looked pretty serious. Still, I have to admit that we've been lucky that we'd been able to stave off recession this far into the year. I'd thought I would be breadsticks as soon as I got back home from Canada back in January.

It hasn't just been the Speedy students either. The Smile has left the building, and then last night, I met up with The Full-Timer. She'd literally gotten back into the country in the same day after a 4-day trip in Seoul. She did have that rather fragrant smell of garlic on her. I got a nice box of sweets from Korea as an omiyage. And I also got the message that she may not be able to see me anymore because of her new job at some start-up medical supplies company in Hamamatsucho. She has really become a full-timer....pretty darn lucky on her part in this economy. So, amongst my friends introduced to me via SR, The Carolinan is being let go at the end of September while The Full-Timer is heading the other way.

Since The Beehive is off for the summer, I have most of the day off. The keyman came in to install the chain lock at the request of the owner of the apartment building. Apparently, she was concerned about safety in my area. I'm knocking on wood pretty heavily as I say this but in my 15 years in my neighbourhood, I haven't experienced or witnessed a major incident. And this is a guy who regularly comes home past midnight. Of course, the guy who murdered English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker back a few years ago had lived in the next area over, but I still think he's now lying at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. The keyman was a folksy fellow, not surprising considering that he hails from Osaka. Since my family is from the same area, we had a good talk for the 45 minutes he was there at my doorway checking, drilling and installing my chain lock. True to Kansai hospitality, he even fixed my sticky doorknob and gave me advice on how to keep things from squeaking. Always nice to meet a true professional.

The other day, I caught the latest "Harry Potter" movie with MB, The Sylph and Skippy at the Picadilly in Shinjuku. Basically, it ended up as a 3-hour prelude to the finale. None of us liked it too much, and I knew we were in trouble when MB started putting his head into his hands and started shifting in his seat. "The Half-Blood Prince" should've been released an extra-special made-for-TV event, not as a blockbuster motion picture. This could only have appealed to the die-hard fans who would swoon even if Harry strangled a cat. I'd never read any of the books so it was with some surprise that I found out from MB that there was a major battle sequence in the original book. But instead in the movie, it was just the bad guys up on the belltower with that final quiet assasssination of Professor Dumbledore by Professor Snape. The director, David Yates, left in all that "Beverly Hills 90120" stuff with Harry, Ginny, Hermione (please, do grow up, girl!) and Ron, and decided to take out a key battle sequence from a blockbuster franchise instead. OoooooK....and what is even more mystifying is that Yates is the same guy who whipped up that crackin' battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the last movie. I mean, that fight scene was even better than anything Yoda and the Sith could bring up in the "Star Wars" prequels. Just disappointing....

Saturday July 25, 3:22 p.m.

Well, got a bit of a disappointment in that The Smile decided not to renew her contract with us. But she's one of those rare students who came up front and told me flat, which I do respect. I have a feeling that Suzanne from the juku will take the other tact and just not show up anymore. In The Smile's case, it's just that the money was a tad too much for her, although Speedy will insist that our school is the most inexpensive. Still, conversation schools by nature will never be known as being particularly cheap. The other disappointing thing is that she was a fun, hard-working student.

Just have The Intellectual in about 30 minutes, then I'm finished.

Saturday July 25, 11:30 a.m.

To your left, may I proudly introduce Kirin Cola? For those people who may be scratching their heads, yup, one of Japan's preeminent beer companies has decided to release their own version of Coke. I came across this one at a vending machine in Tokyo Station, and since it was a broiling day outside, I plunked in my 120 yen. As I guzzled it down like any mug of suds, it did seem to have that tinge of hops. Maybe it was a subliminal thing.

Got that party thing cleared up with both the juku boss and The Restauranteur. I even had dinner at The Restauranteur's place. I had my usual Chicken Saute. The only thing different was that it was a full house. Usually when I've dined there, I was the only one or one of two people; The Restauranteur figured that since we're officially on summer holiday time, the restaurant managed to haul in some holidaymakers from Tokyo Disneyland.

I had Mr. TOEIC for the first time in a couple of weeks. In the interim, he had gone with his family to Okinawa and so, as an omiyage, the school got some beni imo tarts. Beni imo happens to be red potatoes. Just imagine purple potato pie and you've got the right image.

It's a hot one out there...perfect beginning to the annual fireworks festival season. The Sumida River Fireworks Festival...arguably the biggest one in the country will be launching tonight...which means that close to a million guys and girls dressed in sloppily arranged yukata will be amassing in Asakusa from about 4 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start. There are also the Urayasu and Matsudo Festivals in Chiba at the same time. I've never been a huge purveyor of fireworks, despite the fact that the festivities here far outstrip anything we have back in Canada. Folks here ooh and aah over each explosion, but I'm kinda the opinion that once you've seen one festival, you've seen them all. I had my live viewings of the Sumida River Festival years ago and then had to contend with the worst commute home in my 15 years here. So, now I'm rather content to watch it on TV Tokyo in air-conditioned comfort. And since this is Eel Day No. 2, I may do it over an una-don.

Friday July 24, 9:05 a.m.

I was mugged by a squall this morning. When I was walking over to the subway station at the bleary-eyed time of 6:30, it was overcast but with nary a drop. However, I come out the other side, it looked like monsoon season. My umbrella was pretty much useless against the onslaught of wind and rain but I managed to get my McBreakfast.

Saw the Fuji-TV headlines that stated that President Obama may be making his first trip to Japan in November. Well, I can just imagine the media here having 3 months' worth of wet dreams before his arrival. Of course, the TV crews will be again heading toward the town of Obama in Western Japan where the mayor will be pleading with Nagatacho to put his town on the presidential schedule. The commercial networks, like the aforementioned Fuji-TV, will be breathlessly showing off his hotel suite and restaurants that he and perhaps Michelle and the kids will be going to in Tokyo. I suspect that Ten-Ichi, the famed and overpriced tempura restaurant, will be a must go-to

As for Speedy's, I just have Miss Prissy in about 90 minutes. And then a film crew will be doing a feature with the bossman. If I'm lucky, I'll avoid all that coverage and make my way home.

Thursday July 23, 10:46 p.m.

Just about to get out of here...only to come back here in about 8 hours. The Music Man was fine; found out that not only is he a big fan of Kylie Minogue, but he's also a follower of Formula 1. He gave out a lot of info about how the late Gilles Villeneuve was basically made a pariah in this country, but I'll explain all that tomorrow.

Apparently, one of the morning shows has taken an interest in Speedy. So, a film crew will be here in the morning after I'm done with Miss Prissy to do a small feature. I'll be hiding out in the kitchen but I'll make sure I get back home pretty soon since I've got laundry to do.

Thursday July 23, 8:58 p.m.

Well, there he is. The 11th Doctor Who by 26-year-old Matt Smith. The pressures the actor must be having...I bet even Peter Davison didn't face this level of minute analysis and criticism when he took over for Tom Baker 28 years ago. The folks online have already started squabbling over his new costume. However, I'm sure the tweed sellers must be celebrating their lot right now. Hmm...I guess he looks sufficiently different from David Tennant's geek chic...definitely more geek than chic. He's got more of the Ivy League professorial tonsorial mixed in with a floppy hairdo and cheekbones you could cut bread on. However, I'll be looking out for what kind of personality he will be exhibiting. Hopefully, it'll be a little less manic than that of his last two predecessors. We could use a bit more Obama-like calm from this new Time Lord. And hopefully, the powers-that-be won't have me killed for using this image.

Thursday July 23, 7:13 p.m.

I'm not sure what causes these psychedelic trip-ups in my photo uploads but sometimes the results aren't too bad. This is indeed a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts from about a month ago. Ray and La Fille were quite happy.

The Carolinan showed up as scheduled at 6 tonight. I had been initially worried about her after she got word of her company going out of business at the end of September. However, true to her O-type blood, she's taking things in stride. The sounds of Hello Work are now ringing once more. Hello Work happens to be the most famous employment placement agency in the country. Kinda like Manpower back in Canada.

Now that I've gotten that mammoth translation assignment out of the way, I've been getting back into Mixi again. I made my open diary entries concerning those tsukudani grasshoppers I've been munching on along with pictures. And I've already been getting comments. There's nothing like sensationalism to bring in the masses. Speaking of which, someone from Nagoya took a look at my profile and has struck up an e-mail friendship of sorts since we both have connections with studying in Canada and jazz.

Well, time for dinner...Chip Star and soumen.

Thursday July 23, 2:28 p.m.

I do hope wherever you are taking a look at this, you haven't just eaten a meal. If you look closely at this pic, you'll find that these are finely roasted grasshoppers in soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Mmm-mmmm....dem's good eatin'. Called inago in Japanese, they've been given the tsukudani technique which refers to the stewing in the above ingredients.

Actually, they aren't bad at all. Quite chewy and the sauce pretty much obliterates any authentic grasshopper taste that may have come through. I got the package from Grandma Fado a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, inago tsukudani are quite the delicacy in some of the more far-flung prefectures. And Mom has told me that eating locusts was quite the necessity in the war years since protein was rather hard to come by. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to munch on some antennae...

It's been a fairly quiet day so far. I've only had Miss Sedona. She's been getting pretty hyped over her trip to Canada in a few months. Speedy has been counselling her for the past few weeks now. I should be seeing The Carolinan later this evening, and then it'll be The Music Man to wrap things up. The Carolinan has fallen on some hard times...actually, she and the rest of her company staff have known for a while that the axe was gonna come down, but the unfortunate announcement came a couple of weeks ago that her company will be shutting its doors at the end of September. Not sure how the lesson's gonna be like today. May have to get the tissue ready.

I've done the accounting for that huge translation project for The Cornerette. Well, if she's still willing to pay the full amount, I may be in for a pretty winfall at the end of this month. But that's still a big if. And strangely enough, Paddy, the friend who had first introduced me to The Corner over a year ago, got back to me about another possible project involving 100 pages! I sent him the immediate caveat that I would need to find out what the material involved and what the deadline was. After having to deal with pages of ceramics, I'm not quite sure if I'm gonna be up for hundreds of pages.

I checked my machine and got a rather breathless message from the juku boss last night concerning this little dinner next Friday night I had first proposed a couple of months ago for all of my students at The Restauranteur's. Unfortunately, it seems like The Restauranteur and Mr. White called her up about a number of things involving the "party". I never gave too many details to the boss since, for one thing, I never intended this thing to be nothing bigger than a few students and me having a little din-din together. However, forgetting to realize that anything called a party in this country automatically demands planning on a NASA-like level, I had the juku boss talking my ear off about how she's arranged things. I couldn't really even get half of what the boss was babbling about. And at that time, The Fashion Designer was coming into Speedy's for her lesson. I told the boss that I had a student coming right up but she just kept nattering away like a jackhammer so I just finally had to tell her that the student was here and clicked off. I was annoyed that my little get-together got bumped up higher in social status and the fact that the scatterbrain wouldn't let go, regrettably made it easy for me to hang up on her. Hopefully, she won't be ticked off at me on Friday night.

Wednesday July 22, 8:55 p.m.

There was supposed to be one of the biggest solar eclipses in human history, and Tokyo was completely overcast. Bad, Tokyo, bad! Looks like we'll have to take it on the road for the next big one. 001 told me that it would be on Easter Island. I've got a feeling that the Moai Statues will not feel so lonely in the not-so-distant future.

I had just tallied up the cost of those 6 weeks of translation when The Cornerette came back with some corrections I had to do to the original drafts. So, it's not quite over yet.

Saw the new 11th Doctor Who in his new getup. Not too, too bad although I was kinda hoping for something a bit more different than the slight variation on the theme of geek chic that David Tennant had brought in. Still, the tweed and bow tie with folded trousers makes Matt Smith a Doctor.

Saturday July 18, 3:22 p.m.

Just on the verge of heading home. Ray is still here and may be for some time. I've only scratched the surface of figuring out what I'm gonna charge for those 6 weeks of translation. Yep, it's already looking like I might get a small winfall...provided that The Cornerette still wants to pay me after running behind by over a week.

Still have to teach The Jyuppies tomorrow. Not sure about the husband; he's been having that crisis of opportunity. I may have to seriously re-adjust how to teach him.

Saturday July 18, 1:20 p.m.

Well, just a couple of weeks after Michael Jackson's passing, another legend, this time in the broadcasting industry, has died. Good ol' Walter Cronkite has just gone to that anchorman's desk in the sky. He's been pretty much out of the spotlight for the past decade or so but I'm sure all of the news shows right now in the States are giving a full court tribute to Uncle Walter, The Most Trusted Man in America.

Some 6 weeks after I got onto this Japanese ceramics project, I finally got that last kanji translated and sent over to The Cornerette yesterday afternoon. Like with any relationship, there were some ups and downs, and The Cornerette was getting fidgety about when I would finally get everything in. Well, it's in now, and I just have to now tackle the arduous task of tallying up the cost.

Got a long weekend, although I did that one lesson today with The Publicity Agent and then I have two with The Jyuppies tomorrow afternoon. Found out that she'll be putting in her hours this weekend, too. Has to do some filming with the comedy team known as Kyaiin tomorrow. And I found out that her uncle got himself into the Guinness Book for being to fold a rice grain into an origami crane.

Thursday July 16, 12:39 p.m.

Just two more topics away from finally doing away with that mammoth translation, and I just couldn't have enough time to do it. Well, looks like there will be a Part C. However, I did send Part B to the Cornerette. She'll have to wait til tomorrow to get the whole thing.

Just a few minutes away from Miss Sedona's lesson. Speedy is counselling her on that trip to Canada.

My apartment agency has been leaving messages on my machine about something. They left two yesterday...didn't say what it was about so I wasn't particularly enthused about calling them back since I had that problem with them early last year. Finally, I got that third message this morning. Apparently, they want to put in a chain lock on my door and just wanted to confirm a day and time, the workman can come on over. Could be a bit dicey but it's looking like the holiday Monday will be the only one close by.

Wednesday July 15, 7:17 p.m.

Yup, plenty hot out there. I was crazy enough to walk down from Nakano-Sakaue to Shinjuku in blazing 30-degree-plus heat after meeting up with The Admin and then lunch. But the weather was kind to throw in some stiff winds to cool us down. I ended up browsing at the Book First branch in the Coccoon Tower for a while before I took off for Ichigaya to teach The New Yorker. Actually, had three different people come and leave beside us while we had our class; I think that's a personal best for me. Not many people can stand sipping coffee next to an English lesson.

Heading back home on Monday night strangely felt like a Friday night in that I witnessed a rather nasty set of fisticuffs in Iidabashi Station (one guy flipped the other a la judo) and there was a drunk salaryman splayed out on one seat on the Tozai Line home. Of course, the surrounding people didn't disturb him. If this had been in New York City, the poor fool would've been missing several things, including teeth and limbs.

I seem to be making good progress on this last article for The Cornerette. I don't think I'll finish the whole thing off by tonight but I can probably send half of it to The Cornerette to appease her further. But I still have The Music Man's lesson at 9:15.

Wednesday July 15, 8:51 a.m.

Still plowing away at the translations; I've just got one more article to do. Luckily, 001 has cancelled her lesson for today, so after The New Yorker, I've got several hours to bash that into shape.

Last night, the juku boss showed me some of that endearing scatterbraininess that she's often famed for. She had a talk over the weekend with a potential substitute English teacher for the kids whenever I head off for home. Apparently, he's just a 20-year-old greenhorn from Hungary who's pretty much into the Japanese language. The boss was so impressed with his Japanese abilities that she didn't even bother checking into the most important attribute...can the guy speak English?

Mr. White's second class went off without a hitch. As for The Milds, we kept it nice and light. They're still not masters of Past Continuous/Simple Past contrast but after two weeks and several exercises, I don't think they're gonna get any better. On to Present Perfect next week.

I don't have The Admin until 11 today but made the trek over to Speedy's as if I had an early lesson since those translations and The Cornerette have been breathing down my neck. Afterwards, I've got The New Yorker and then it'll be The Music Man for the last one tonight.

I actually have got another O-chugen package from The Matron (remember her?) coming to me. It's now been three months since I last saw The Class Act, but I still get the little cakes. Still not sure whether The Class Act will ever get together.

Monday July 13, 10:50 p.m.

Well, finished with Medicine Man...my sole student of the entire day. Still feeling a bit down about what all of those weeks of trying to translate the ceramics website have culminated to. I never had this much trouble with hot springs, contracts and even tax lingo. But ceramics has thrown me for a loop with all of that arcane language. I've sent the message out to her...didn't give any excuses to her. So the ball's in her court.

Time to head on home.

Monday July 13, 8:57 p.m.

Well, it took a while but it looks like I finally got that e-mail of exasperation from The Cornerette just now about how long it has taken me to get through those translations. At least, I think I got one...it's hard to tell since her English is not nearly as good as The Corner's. I sent over an apology letter. I don't think it's gonna get the translations done any faster. I informed her that I wasn't a professional translator and certainly wasn't a ceramicist; I just hope that Paddy didn't pad his recommendation of me when I was first introduced to The Corner over a year ago. Well, I figure that I'll probably be no longer contacted by The Cornerette or The Corner once this assignment is truly over...hopefully by the end of this week. Ach...it was a good gig while it lasted.

Monday July 13, 3:56 p.m.

The first truly summer day has arrived. I woke up sweating...a sure sign, and yet I'm holding off the first official usage of my dinosaur of an air conditioner until tomorrow. Yep, it was about 31 C in my living room but wasn't sweating too profusely...more like a skin-shield of sweat. I've certainly gotten accustomed to the infamous Tokyo summers over the years. Another sign of that was back on Friday when The Lens and I had met in Akiba. He's far more healthier than me, thanks to his long years of kendo training, and yet he said he was mightily wilting under the sun. And the last sign that the dog days of summer have arrived: my first of two showers of the day.

I went down to my branch of the bank to transfer some funds over to the parentals. The lady who's helped me ever since I first arrived in Japan was busy with another guy, so I got a native who had a fair-to-middling ability with the language. First, she told me that I didn't need to deal with her and that I could actually go to the ATMs and get it done there. Well, quite a change, I thought...only to find out I couldn't get access to any Canadian banks on the machines. I caught the lady's eye again and told her about my predicament, and after shooting up some question marks over her head, she realized that she hadn't told me enough information....about the special bank transfer booth across from the regular ATMS.

After going through the process, I kinda wondered what was actually easier....just getting the transfer done the old way with that American employee who's been at my branch longer than probably Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama combined or this newfangled way. I sat into the booth which reminded me of my regular visits to the I-Cafe and had that other lady looking over my shoulder while another bank employee showed up on cameraphone to take my order. As I took the receiver, the new lady instructed me to put that piece of paper on which I'd jotted down the info for my parents' bank account (and boy was I lucky I'd had the foresight to do that) and put into the scanner right in front of me. Then came about 10 minutes of digital data taking before the money was on its way. This lady's English was somewhat better than the first person, but I could hear a bit of tension underneath the professional voice of reason. Wasn't sure if she were nervous about handling my order in English or if she were terrified of my face. My default expression isn't very pretty and unless people get to know me well, they usually think I'm in a ticked-off mood....which I was, slightly. However, she assured me that the data is now a part of record, and that if I ever needed to do the same thing again, I just had to press one number and the whole structure would pop up again automatically so that I would just need to press "Confirm" and then how much I money I would send. I'm sure she was quite relieved.

Got out of there and walked up to Roppongi. Ended up having lunch at the local Wendy's. It was up to 32 C by that time and it had only passed 11 o'clock. Still, walking up the rebuilt area of Roppongi Hills, the presence of trees made a big difference in cooling things down, in contrast with the mostly concrete of Old Roppongi. Took some shots of the area.

Then, I took the Metro up to Ginza. Ginza is all concrete so the temperature was definitely closer to 40 C with all of the juicy air to boot. Took a look in both HMVs and Yamano Music for the better part of an hour there. All places were playing Michael Jackson on speakers. Next, I went inside the whale skeleton that made up the Tokyo International Forum; just aching for pictures. Then I went up to the Yaesu Book Centre across from Tokyo Station. Was surprised that I could survive all that walking in that heat. But I kept myself hydrated, thanks to the vending machines.

The week's looking pretty light for me. Just have Medicine Man tonight...yep, one 9:30 class will make up my entire work output for the day. Still, I've got translations to do. The Cornerette asked...politely...about when the last of those translations will get in. I answered...politely...that they'll be in by the end of the week (although I left out the word, "hopefully"). Basically, the only really busy day will be Wednesday...which I guess is appropriate since that was Hump Day, but even then, it's just 4 classes with plenty of space in between. Thursday (and I am keeping my fingers crossed here) may just have me having 2 classes in the afternoon: Miss Sedona and The Bow.

I got home from the latest stint at the I-Cafe last night and turned on NHK to see how those Tokyo Assembly Elections were going. And sure enough, the Liberal Democratic Party was getting trounced. I'd say it was like Hannibal Lecter sinking his teeth into those hapless guards in "Silence of the Lambs". The Democratic Party of Japan was just mauling Taro Aso's party all night, and by the end of the assault, the DPJ became the No. 1 party in Tokyo for the first time in 40 years and also got an outright majority for the first time in many years. I'm sure there was a party at DPJ headquarters. Meanwhile, the LDP could only start to lick its wounds. It took its national partner, the Komeito Party, to somehow make things from looking totally disastrous.

And the vulture was looking at Taro Aso, as it had for ex-PM Abe and Yasuo Fukuda before him. Sure enough, I saw the newspaper kiosks in the subways screaming out the headlines of the announcement of the dissolution of the Diet next week with a general election to be held in August. So, I think the country's highest manga lover will hang on and himself at the bitter end, since there is really noone there to take over. The media has apparently been doing the LDP's thinking for them and throwing out names such as Yoichi Masuzoe, the Minister of Labour, and Governor Higashikokubaru of Miyazaki Prefecture, since both have relative popularity. But Masuzoe has always gotten increasingly grayer over the months since he took over his post, thanks to that pension scandal, so I'm not sure if he could literally survive the top post, and as for current comedian-in-chief Higashikokubaru, I'm frankly not sure if CNN and the rest of the international media could survive pronouncing his name on a regular basis. Plus, Japan would wince mightily if Higashikokubaru actually got the top job and started telling President Obama to just call him Sonomama Higashi, his old comedian pseudonym. In any case, politically speaking, it's gonna be a blazing summer here.

Sunday July 12, 8:38 p.m.



Another weekend is coming to an end. Did another round at MB's place. And this time, The Satyr showed up as well and we got to see a DVD. We watched "Hot Fuzz", the latest movie with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the British Laurel and Hardy of the 21st century. It was chock filled with a lot of the latest Brit thesps (Timothy Dalton, Paddy Considine, Bill Nighy, etc.) who've made their way across the ocean to Hollywood, and even one Aussie, a disguised cameo by Cate Blanchett. MB and I had been hoping to watch it for several months, and I guess we had our expectations ratcheted up a bit too high. After the first 15 minutes, there was nary a laugh out of the three of us, and I started to think whether we had picked up a dud. Things finally got going in the 2nd half so it wasn't a total loss, but I think "Shaun of the Dead" still wins out by a good margin. However, I think the big casting shocker was portly old Edward Woodward...yep, "The Equalizer" himself...playing a seemingly cordial Neighbourhood Watch commander.



MB did get that huge screen and has been enjoying his games online and off. I must admit that although I'm absolutely a putz when it comes to playing them, it's still pretty enjoyable. Still don't think I'll dust off my Playstation 1, though.



My session with Mrs Jyuppie was fine but Mr. Jyuppie basically put me into counselor mode once more. Apparently, he's gone into a mid-life crisis almost a decade too early. He's been wondering about how satisfied he's been with his career and the fact that he's gotten a couple of potentially good but risky opportunities. Hmmm....I listened and then referred him to "What Color is your Parachute?"



Today is the Tokyo City Council Elections...a bellweather vote in terms of the health of the governing party. It'll be interesting for me to look

Thursday July 9, 7:39 p.m.

Another pretty quiet night. Grandma FON and I had another good session. She'll be heading off to her dacha out in the wilds of Nagano Prefecture from next week so we may or may not see her again for about 6 weeks, at least. The Nurse came by...pretty lackadaiscal...I'm kinda wondering if she'll be taking off if things get anymore lax. And then, The Carolinan. She seemed slightly moody tonight....couldn't really tell why until she told me at the end that the president of her company, an alcoholic beverage retailer that's fallen on some hard times, had announced a big meeting with everyone at a major hotel tomorrow. She thinks, being somewhat pessimistic, that the big meeting will really be the excuse to bring down the axe on a lot of folks. Hopefully, everything will work out for her.

Just have The Music Man in about 90 minutes. Still slogging away at the remaining stubborn article to be translated. I got in touch with The Lens' wife just now to say that I'll meeting them for lunch in Akiba tomorrow.

The campaign trucks have once again been assaulting our ears since the Tokyo Assembly elections are on for this Sunday. I think we've had about 4 or 5 pols waving their white-gloved (oh, the irony) hands while using their megaphones like a secret weapon. The media will be keeping their eyes and ears peeled as to how the LDP fares. If the LDP bombs, as many expect they will, then PM Aso may just hold off on that call for a general election until more stable times come again.

Thursday July 9, 11:16 a.m.

Another one of those warm and humid days. Not quite the moushoubi, or torrid days, characteristic of summer in the Kanto, but we're making the transition. It'll be a somewhat middlingly busy day today. Not particularly a Hump Day but I have enough on my plate to keep things going. I've got Grandma FON in another 10 minutes, and then it'll be The Nurse a few hours, The Carolinan a few hours after that, followed by The Music Man in the last slot tonight.

I've been reading that somewhat forgotten sitcom stars from the 70s have been getting back into the limelight...but not in the most positive of ways. Eddie (Carmine) Mekka of "Laverne & Shirley" and Joyce (Janet) DeWitt from "Three's Company" have been busted for DUI in the last couple of days. I'd say that Conrad Janis, Pam Dawber and Donna Pescow better think twice about that last drink.

Well, I've yet to hear from The Lens about where we're supposed to be meeting for lunch tomorrow afternoon. I've got that day cleared for he and his wife before I have my sole classes at the juku on Friday night.

Wednesday July 8, 9:12 p.m.

Quiet ending to the night. Just waiting for The Fashion Designer to show up in about 15 minutes. 001 had one of those rollicking classes; I knew things were going to be fun when she pointed at her tummy and said in all seriousness, "I had a headache". Loved to whomp her on that one.

Well, I am quite impressed with Kinokuniya. Not less than a week after I'd ordered that CD for Mr. White's textbook, I got a call from them stating that the discs have arrived. Far better than those 2 months waiting for the DVD at Maruzen. Don't think I'll have a chance to pick it up tomorrow due to the schedule. If I'm lucky, it may be Friday before I meet up with The Lens for lunch. Most likely, it'll be Monday morning.

Wednesday July 8, 4:11 p.m.

I may only have three lessons here at Speedy, plus that private one with The Admin, but it's still feeling like Hump Day since I still have those translations above my head like a Sword of Damocles. Well, I managed to overcome another hurdle by getting another batch off to the Cornerette. Strangely enough, I haven't heard from her for a couple of days; not sure if she's run off screaming like a banshee. I still have that rather large bundle that I've let slide since the others that have come since then had higher priority. In any case, this latest assignment has been the toughest I've ever had.

The family restaurant was really bustling when The Admin and I got there. I think the lunch crowd doesn't exactly head back to work right at 1 anymore. I brought over the will of Michael Jackson that I'd downloaded from CNN.com a few days ago for a conversation piece. The Admin had seen more of the funeral than I did, and just remarked on the spectacle of it all, which is the word that I would also use to describe The King of Pop's final farewell.

Had Miss Prissy earlier in the morning so I've just got 001 and The Fashion Designer later tonight. I had a small chat with Ray who's just come back from a week vacationing in Paris. She had a good time in The City of Lights although she didn't bother going out at night due to security issues. I got a tin of mints as a souvenir.

Wednesday July 8, 8:13 a.m.

Well, the funeral of the century came and went. I let this world event pass me by as I slumbered overnight (it happened at 2 a.m. JST). Ordinarily, I would've watched it but since I do have an early class today which meant an early departure from home, I'd decided that I wouldn't risk the embarrassment of collapsing in front of Miss Prissy just for the chance of watching Michael Jackson's casket.

I think people get the funerals they deserve. I don't remember the services that John Lennon or Elvis Presley got, but I do remember Princess Diana's from 12 years ago. It was grand and laden with celebs. Terry Fox also received a fine sendoff in a church with the Canadian flag. As for Michael Jackson, from what few highlights I'd seen and the stuff I'd read on CNN.com, his funeral was as spectacular and as telegenic as any of his concert extravaganzas. I don't think I'll have to worry about missing it; I'm almost positive that it'll get repeat airing and perhaps even a DVD deal is in the works. I'm not sure if that would be something that MJ would appreciate, but entertainment is a business.

I was also drawn to yesterday's tirade by Congressman Peter King about the media's lionization of Michael Jackson. I think it was more of a venting than anything else by the politician. Nothing's gonna change about the viewing of Jackson because of one pol's dislike of The King of Pop. However, I'd have to disagree with him about his statement that Jackson did nothing good, although I can't say that I'm a fervent fan. At the very least, Jackson entertained and perhaps inspired a lot of people to do things. In the last few years of his life, he may have shown some incredible lack of judgment but if he managed to keep people happy, then that's not a bad legacy at all.

Monday July 6, 8:45 p.m.

Those translations just keep dragging on and on. I've just said the heck with it and I'm gonna shut down the translating for tonight. I've already sent in my contribution for today anyways.

Got to see SIL for the first time in a few weeks. Of course, Michael Jackson was the hot topic on the menu today. We made a comparative study between him and her idol of Elvis Presley. It'll be another 3 weeks before I meet SIL again since she and her family are on Obon holiday (for certain folks here, the Obon holiday is celebrated in July, not in August).

Met up with The Full-Timer. She's still doing the rounds of interviews with her temp company. She's been getting rather exhausted from all of the speaking in English and stuff, but she is sounding more fluent.

The Spaniard, one of our other teachers here at Speedy's, contributed some suits to me and the bossman tonight. Not quite sure if I'll be able to fit into the trousers but the blazers are hopeful. In any case, they'll all need a good pressing.

With all of the Michael Jackson news and that crisis in Honduras, it's easy to overlook what's been happening in my backyard. And what is happening in my backyard is that it's looking more and more likely that the Prime Ministerial revolving door will be turning once more in the next month or so. After a slight blip of hope a few months ago with that small scandal in the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party is once again sinking. There was a gubernatorial election in Shizuoka last night with the LDP being ousted there which can't be good news for PM Aso. And there are the Tokyo councillor elections this coming Sunday which the LDP can't afford to lose.