Natsu Yasumi wa mo sugu owarimasu. Chotto kanashii desu. Demo Nippon ni kaeritai.
Kinou, Atlanta Barbecue and Blues Festival(matsuri) ni ikimashita. Barbecue Pork sandwich o tabemashita. Ichiban yokatta blues band wa Jimmie Vaughan (Stevie Ray Vaughan no oniisan) deshita. Sorekara, Blind Willie's blues bar ni ikimashita. Chicago Bob Nelson no blues band o mimashita. Sorekara, sugoku omoshiroi band o mita. Band namae wa Col. Bruce Hampton & Planet Zambee. Ano band no kyoku wa chotto henna psychedelic blues ongaku. Takusan energy ga arimashita. Col. Hampton no live wa ichiban to omoimashita, demo crazy hippie dancers wa amari suki ja nakatta.
Kyou, 3 Eiga o mimashita. Uchi no chikaku ni wa yasui eigakan ga arimasu. Ticket wa 200 yen gurai desu. Kyou, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (omoroi comedy) to "Austin Powers 2" (sugoku omoroi comedy) to "Summers of Sam" (story of mass murderer Son of Sam) o mimashita. Tokyo de, eiga o amari mimasen. Dakara, America ni iku toki, takusan eiga o mimasu. Konya, ryoushin to restaurant de bangohan o tabemashita. Dinner wa Viking rashii deshita. Iroirona cheese to ebi to prime rib of beef to black beans & rice to peach pie o tabemashita. Sugoku oishikatta desu!
Kesa, Kankokujin no "nephew" (ane no kodomo) Ty mo aimashita. Kare to shashin o totta. Kare wa "cheese!" wa wakarimasen deshita. Shashin no ato de, kare wa cheese o tabetakatta desu. Omoroi, ne!(8/29)
Atlanta wa mada atsui desu. Kyou, chichi to kawa no tonari restaurant (Ray's by the River) de tabeta. Prime Rib Beef to mashed potatoes to chiisai green beans o tabeta. Sugoku oishikatta desu. Chatahooche River wa kirei deshita. Ato de, kusuriya ni ikimashita. Ippai Vitamin o kaimashita. Kusuriya hito wa bikkurishita. Sorekara, Nihon no hon-ya (Isewa) ni ikimashita. Nihongo no kiku koto no renshuu dekimashita. Ato de, otouto to ryoushin to tabeta. Totemo Ookii Cheeseburger o tabeta. Oishikatta, demo America no hamburger wa ooki sugiru to omoimasu. Konya, shinbun de Geisha no tame ni yomimashita. Saikin, America-jin no iken wa geisha wa omoroi desu. Totemo yumei Geisha hon ("Memoirs of a Geisha") ga arimasu. Ryoushin to, Kyouto de, Geisha o mimashita, demo boku wa chotto gakkari shimashita. Geisha wa chotto furui kara. Demo chotto omoshirokatta. Geisha no koto no kyoku wa omoroi to omoimashita. Geisha wa chotto mysterious desu ne! (8/28)
Kinou, chichi to High Museum of Art ni ikimashita. Omoshiroi Folk Art (Howard Finster!) o mita. Giftshop de omoroi Pop Art necktie o kaimashita. Sorekara, ryoushin to tabeta. Restaurant wa Singles Night ga arimashita. Omoshiroi, demo singles (dokushin no hito) wa chotto furui! Sorekara, furui Tokyo no tomodachi, Bryon, ni aimashita. Watashitachi wa Cinema Drafthouse (eigakan bar) de, Southpark anime comedy eiga o mita. Eiga o minagara, biiru o nomimashita. (8/27)
Kyou, omoshiroi comedy eiga "American Pie" o mita. Tanoshikatta. Ippai Waratta. (It reminds me of the movie, "There's Something About Mary.")
Kinou, Coca-Cola Museum ni ikimashita. Hakubutsu-kan de, furui Cola Fountain to Bottling Production Line to Furui Terebi Komaasharu (commercials) to omoshiroi Coca-Cola mijikai eiga ("Every Day of Your Life") ga miemasu. Saigo, iroirona Coca-Cola no nomimono ga nomemasu. Demo "Georgia Coffee" wa arimasen deshita (Zannen, Georgia ni, Georgia Coffee wa arimasen!). Watashi wa Coca-Cola o nomisugimashita. Dakara, kinou no yoru amari nemasen deshita!
Do youbi, otouto to Blues & Barbecue Festival ni ikimasu. Georgia no barbecue wa totemo oishii desu!
Ku-Gatsu Tsuitachi ni, Tokyo ni kaerimasu. (8/26)
Doyoubi, ani (Tinsley) no Winder, Georgia
live o mita. Tinsley no band wa Omoshiroi bar
(Chip's) de ensoh shimashita. Mae ni, ano bar
wa Gas Station deshita. Gas Station no sign wa mada
arimasu. Parking wa me-ushi no bokujou deshita.
Winder wa cho inaka desu! Tinsley no live wa sugoku
yokatta desu! Ani wa blues master to omoimasu.
Inaka-jin no Audience (choushuu?) wa chotto crazy
deshita. (They were raising their arms and fists in
the air, screaming, and dancing.) Omoshirokatta desu! Ima, watashi wa atarashii band ketsugou shitai desu. (8/24)
OK, NIHONGO de chotto kakimasu (ippai machigai, gomen ne! Demo ii renshuu desu, ne!): Kyou, Hollywood, Florida ni ikimashita. Hollywood de umareta. Furui uchi o mimashita. Sugoi Hisashiburi (tabun 25 nen gurai). Sugoi Natsukashii!! Ie wa totemo chigatte imashita. Demo watashi no heya to pool to family room to ani no heya wa kimochi ga yokatta. Ato de, hoka no furui uchi to obaa-san no furui uchi o mita. Natsukashikatta desu! Sorekara, Miami Beach ni itta. Tomodachi, Bill, aimashita. Umi no tonari de tabeta. Konya, ookii club sandwich (turkey, swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato on wheat bread) o tabeta. Oishi katta! Ato de, Starbucks Coffee ( Starbucks daisuki!) ni itta. Frozen Frappucino Kohii o nonda. Sorekara, watashitachi wa Mystery Men comedy eiga o mita. Sugoi omoroi! Ato de, Lincoln Road de, Bill to hanashita. Bill wa saikin Kubi ni natta. Demo kare no hanashi (story) wa totemo omoroi. Dakara watashi wa sugoku waratta. Bill wa atarashii shigoto mitsuketa, dakara daijoubu desu. Kaeru toki, chotto michi (highway) ni mayotta. Chotto shinpai shita, demo 15 fun go ni, watashi no deguchi mitsuketa. Anshin shimashita. Florida no highway wa wakari nikui desu. Ashita, hikouki de, Atlanta ni kaerimasu.(8/17)
Kinou, Key West shima (island) ni ikimashita. Takusan ame ga futte imashita. Soshite, hare ni natta. Yokatta. Chotto suzushikatta. Kireina nichibotsu o umide mita. Soshite, steak dinner o tabeta. Sono ato de, totemo omoroi band o mita. Bill "Sauce Boss" Wharton ensoh shimashita. Oshaberi itoko to ikimashita. "Sauce Boss" o chotto ensou shita, chotto Gumbo cooking shimashita. Henna Band deshita. Kono uta wa cooking no uta datta. Mina san wa sugoi waratta (laughing). Sono ato de, Itoko to oshaberi shitekara, watashitachino hotel ni kaetta. Omoroi TV o mita. 2ji ni nemashita, DEMO cousin wa totemo urusai SNORING (IBIKI o kakimasita). Dakara watashi wa nemuremasen deshita. Kesa okii breakfast (tabehodai) o tabeta. Sorekara, President Truman no Key West no ie ("Key West White House") o mita. Omoshirokatta. Sorekara, resort hotel de cheeseburger o tabeta. Oishikatta. Hotel de Dolphins o mita. Dolphins wa sugoi kawaii! Dolphins to oyogitai desu! Ato de, Ft. Lauderdale ni kaeta. Bruce Willis no eiga Sixth Sense o mita. Sono eiga ga suki datta, dakedo chotto kowakatta! Ima nemui. Soro soro nemasu. Watashi no Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka?? Minasan, Oyasumi Nasai! (8/16)
I drove down to the exciting and dangerous city of Miami yesterday. My parents always panic when I visit Miami. They lent me there mobile phone in case of emergency. I met my old college roommate Bill. We had dinner at Curry's, an old Miami Beach restaurant with funny old paintings of surfer girls on the walls. I feel like I'm in old Miami here, and the steaks are delicious. After dinner, we walked around the newly famous Lincoln Road. Lincoln Road has an incredible variety of people, so it's great for people watching. Tomorrow, I'll go with my parents and my talkative cousin Ellis Duncan to Key West, the southernmost place in the United States and the home of Hemingway, Jimmy Buffett, and nature's greatest work of art (the sunset on the Gulf of Mexico).
It was a long ride to Orlando yesterday. We had dinner in Orlando at one of the top 10 steak restaurants in America, Charley's. Oishikatta! We spent the morning at UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. I went to three attractions: Terminator(excellent!), Alfred Hitchcock (good 3-D effects), and Earthquake (hmm, it reminded me of Tokyo). We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. I think the AC/DC heavy metal music was too loud for my parents, but the cheeseburgers were delicious as always. Later, we stopped by Jimmy Buffett's Margarittaville where I picked up a copy of Buffett's nonfiction book "A Pirate Looks at Fifty," which is very funny reading. Buffett is a famous Florida musician who sings about partying too much ("Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville"), life on the beach, pirates, the perfect cheeseburger, going mental, etc.. The first thing I did when we reached Ft. Lauderdale was to walk on the almost deserted beach, which seems like paradise after living in overcrowded Japan for sooo long! It looks like beautiful weather this week in the Sunshine State. Party On! (8/11)
Last Sunday, I went to a fun International BBQ Party at a beach park in Chiba. I enjoyed eating yaki soba and meeting people from around the world. The beach was pretty pitiful compared with Florida, especially since many people left cans and other trash on the beach. It looked like "Gomi Beach." Anyway, the weather was beautiful, and I got a lot of good NIHONGO practice. I hope I didn't tell too many cold jokes!
I look forward to going home to "HOTLANTA" (Atlanta) next week for a much needed Summer Vacation!! MACHIDOSHII!! I will put news from my trip in this diary, so check it out when you have the time. In Georgia, you can reach me by e-mail: luckyloneranger@yahoo.com
Last night I came here to Sendai to go to a birthday party. It was a lot of fun. Two teachers and five students from my old senmon gakkou met me at Shirokiya izakaya. MOCHIRON GATSU GATSU TABETA. GABU GABU NONDA. We sang power karaoke in our private party room. I sang "Johnny B. Good" and "My Way." I'm glad we didn't do a NIJIKAI. I got back to the Aisaki Ryokan about midnight. My Futon was very comfortable, so I slept well. When I left this morning, the old Mamasan walked me to the door and bowed to me very low. It's a very traditional Japanese inn. When the weather is warmer, she sometimes sits on her knees and bows her head to the floor when I leave. This surprised me very much the first time she did it.
Today, I'll go to my favorite Sendai restaurant, Vino, for an Italian lunch with red wine! I'll probably eat eggplant pizza. After that, I'll go shopping at Tower Records and my favorite bakery, Michel. Unfortunately, it's very cold in Sendai today. It's been snowing a little here and the wind is incredibly strong, so it's hard to even walk down the street. It's probably snowing hard in Fukushima (YUKI KUNI) now. KAERITAKUNAI!(2/28)
1. Pulp - This Is Hardcore
My friend Joe and I fell into disfavor with the master one night when Joe tossed the torn off end of a hand rolled cigarette into the glass candle holder on our table. Unfortunately, the overly polite master (nicknamed "Mr. Tatemae") was walking by our table at just this momen and saw the flame rise surprisingly high on our table. He shook his finger in our faces and said "DAME!" (Bad!) as he took the candle off our table. For months after this, Mr. Tatemae (always smiling and dressed in a black bow tie) would bow to us when we sat down, say "Kombanwa", and remove the lit candle off our table. After awhile, I got tired of his fake manners, his treating us like children, and especially his bad jazz music. I started to request blues music each time I arrived, and he'd occasionally play it for me. Gradually, he got tired of the requests and he lost his tatemae (fake manners) again. He angrily told me his club was a jazz theme bar, and he'd only play jazz. Joe calmed him by saying in his best Japanese, "Kare wa blues suki. Watashi wa jazz daisuki!" (He likes blues, but I love jazz!) Joe was a great lover of the gaijin discount and told me we couldn't afford to make Mr. Tatemae angry. Joe tried to be more polite than Mr. Tatemae smiling and saying "Jazz ga daisuki!" each visit, and eventually Mr.Tatemae did stop removing the candle from our table.
I've been studying Japanese with the video "Shall We Dance?" I bought a used copy while I was in Atlanta, so it has English subtitles. I've watched the movie many times and laugh loudly at the sukebe bouzu oyaji (bald middleaged pervert) dancing with a Latin costume and curly black wig. This comedy makes fun of the shame and joy Japanese feel over dancing. This video is a nice change from my usual study video, the children's animation video Doraemon. I need to learn more adult Japanese now.(1/19)
DREAM: The night before I left for Japan, I dreamed I was with my two brothers backstage at a ROLLING STONES concert shortly before the show started. I was, of course, very excited to be there, since I've been a Stones fan since junior high school, and I've never seen the Stones play live. I met Mick Jagger in the bathroom when he came in to relieve himself before the start of the show. He was smiling crazily like a manga (cartoon) character. Then, the show started. I was looking for my brother's Georgia friend Chuck Leavell, the Stones' keyboardist, but another of my brother's friends, the "Reverand" Oliver Wells was playing. Wells plays organ in a very gospel style, so the music sounded much blacker than usual. I got so excited by the music that I woke up. (1/7)
Last night, we had Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' home. Before we ate, we had the annual "Pageant" show. First, we all read from the Bible. Then, we sing Christmas songs while Tinsley plays guitar. This year, we sang "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night." The dinner was excellent as always with roast beef, stewed corn, mashed potatoes, shrimp cocktail, and butter cake. Christmas morning, we had a delicious brunch and then opened Christmas presents. I was happy to get clothes (socks, gloves, a Padagonia cap, a Padagonia jacket, and a heavy flannel shirt), blues CDs, and book certificates. I gave my nephews and niece Japanese children's clocks (Doraemon, Godzilla, Hello Kitty, & Ultraman) bought at Narita Airport, my favorite place to buy Christmas presents. (12/25)
Monday night, I went to Namazu-Tei. We were talking about kanji. One of the customers explained that sumo wrestlers make the kanji for heart with four hand movements after they win a match. I always thought they were just gesturing thank you. I also learned that sumo wrestlers throw salt before they wrestle in order to purify themselves. CHOTTO Mysterious, ne. (11/25)
This weekend, I went to a fun Halloween party at Namazu-Tei. I went dressed up as a member of Z.Z. Top. I wore a long black beard and cheap sunglasses. I'm looking forward to Tuesdays's holiday. MATTENAI! (11/1)
Set List for my new band (MR. DANGER AND THE SAFETY FOREIGN BOYS):
Good MOVIES I've Seen Recently:
There's Something About Mary (The Best Comedy since Austin Powers!!)
Brothers Ellis Band (Otouto wa guitar; watashi wa bass
player) no Live wa yokatta desu. Blues
BarBQ Rib Restaurant & Bar ("Fat Matt's RibShack") de
ensoh shimashita. Otouto to watashi wa hayai
blues-rock ongaku ga suki desu. Tanoshikatta demo
ensoh suru koto wa chotto muzukashii. Hisashiburi
kara. Hoka no band member wa sugoku yokatta. Piano
player to keyboard player wa subarashikatta. Fat Matt
wa Barbecue rib sandwich dinner to biiru to okane
watashitachi ni ageta. Watashi wa $37 moratta.
Ureshikatta desu. Bandstand no ushiro ni wa Mount
Rushmore painting with the giant heads of the kings of
blues (B.B.King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, to
Robert Johnson). Teenagers kimashita. 13-sai
onna no ko wa hontoni Nihongo kikitakatta, dakara
watashi wa Uru Furuzu no "Banzai" uta ohanashita. 
I'm going to Florida today with my parents. We'll spend the night in Orlando and hopefully go to Universal Studios tomorrow morning. Then, we'll drive to Ft. Lauderdale where my parents have an apartment on the beach. I'll go see my old college roommate Bill in Miami Beach on Thursday. Aba Yo!(8/8)
HELLO FROM HOTLANTA (ATLANTA)! Yes, I'm now in Atlanta for summer vacation, and yes, it is just as hot as Tokyo here. I have good airconditioning here, though, so I'm not suffering at all. I've been enjoying catching up on new movies. So far, I've seen Austin Powers 2 (The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Runaway Bride (with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts). Next, I want to see the new Star Wars movie, EYES WIDE SHUT (Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman; Stanley Kubrick's great last film), and the horror movie The Blair Witch Project. It's been good to see my family, especially my three nephews (Trey, Harrison, and Ty) and niece (Jenny). I heard my brother Tinsley's new CD (coming out next year). It sounds excellent! It features Little Feat's drummer and Stevie Ray Vaughan's keyboardist. I'm still suffering from jet lag (jisa boke), so I've been taking a lot of cat naps. More news later. See you cats later!! (8/4)
Last Saturday, I went to the Blues & Soul Review show in Shibuya. Len and I, of course, got very lost on the way to the show. We sat with some people from the Bright Brown club. The show started with the JIMMY JOHNSON BAND along with special guest saxophonist A.C. REED. I thought that was great, but the next act was even better. Soul singer OTIS CLAY and his big band put on an excellent, high energy show. I hadn't heard any live soul music for a long time, so I felt very moved by the music. I especially loved the singalong song with the words "I can take you to heaven tonight. I'm no angel, but you know I'll treat you right!"
I hope I can check my mail every few days. ABA YO! (7/28)
Late last night, I dropped by the jam session at Nakano's blues club, Bright Brown. I was very lucky (cho lucky) to get to see the Japanese guitarist from the Robert Cray Band, Shun Kikuta, who was visiting from Chicago. Kikuta played with more passion than any Japanese blues player I've ever heard. After the show, another guitarist told me "He plays like your brother." I agreed. Check him out when you get the chance. I'm looking forward to seeing Tokyo's annual Blues & Soul Revue show next weekend. I'll get to see three of Chicago's greatest musicians: OTIS CLAY, JIMMY JOHNSON, and A. C. REED. The show will be in Shibuya next Saturday. (7/16)
The big news this week is I bought a sofa bed! I was tired of sleeping on my hard futon, and I also wanted a sofa for my small apartment, so it "killed two birds with one stone." In other news, My Excellent Writing Class is starting an interesting project in which they will explain Japanese animation shows and characters, such as Doraemon, Dragon Ball, Sazae-san, Tottoro, and Chibi Maruko-chan. We hope to make our own homepage to share Japanese culture with non-Japanese people around the world. Later, I hope we can write a guide to Shinjuku, which I think is one of the most unusual places in Japan. After living in Tohoku for three years, it seems strange to walk home past old men sleeping in cardboard boxes.
My friends and I finished writing a reading textbook, tentatively titled "WEB WATCHING THE WORLD." The book will include short readings on interesting places with pictures, maps, quizzes, exercises, and internet links. Look for it later this year. I wrote about Atlanta, Miami, Key West, Uttar Pradesh (India), Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Norway, and Plymouth.
I saw my favorite band NRBQ play in my old neighborhood, Kichijyoji. They were excellent, as always. It was great to see the boys play in Tokyo. I love the way they mix pure pop with improvisational jazz and blues. I think Joey is the greatest bass player around. He makes his electric bass sound just like an accoustic, stand-up bass. The show was expensive (about $60), so I only went one of two nights. I was dying to go hear them play the second night. NRBQ WA ICHIBAN!!
Well, I finally moved to Tokyo. The last couple of weeks in Fukushima were pretty fun with several Sobetsukai (Sayonara Parties). The youchien teachers gave me lots of silly presents. My school and apartment are both located near Shinjuku 3 Chome. It's a pretty cool area with lots of coffee shops (including Starbucks!), an international grocery (Queen's Chef), a nice park (Gyoenmae), and lots of cool restaurants and clubs. It's good to be able to eat lots of Indian and Thai curry again! Shinjuku is, of course, quite crowded especially around the JR Shinjuku station (the most crowded train station in the world), so it's kind of a shock after living in smaller cities for the past six years. It will take me some time to get adjusted to big city life, but I'm happy to be here. 東京 が 好き です。 (4/6)
I've been sooo busy lately. Friday, I went to Tokyo to get my visa at Otemachi's Immigration. There was a three hour wait, but I think everything went well. I should get my new visa in a few weeks. I really enjoyed going to a Tokyo blues club called Bright Brown. I met a musician I know there named Tad Miura. He sometimes plays at Namazu-tei in Fukushima. I also met a guitarist who had seen my older brother play live in Memphis, Tennessee. That night, there was a live session, so I got to hear lots of blues musicians play. Some of them were great and some were cho beri bad! I also went to Ginza and Roppongi. I really enjoyed drinking a frozen Frappucino at the Starbucks coffeehouse in Roppongi!
My big news is that I'll move to TOKYO next month to work in Shinjuku San Chome. I'll be working for an intensive English program that prepares Japanese students to go to American universities and colleges. I'm excited about moving back to Tokyo. I've enjoyed living in Tohoku for three years, but it's just too cold for me here! Working in a Japanese high school really helped me learn Japanese, so I'm glad I came here. (2/21)
Top 10 CDs on My Stereo This Month:
2. Tinsley Ellis - Storm Warning
3. Jackie Brown - Movie Soundtrack
4. Jonny Lang - Wander This World
5. Bryan Ferry - Boys and Girls
6. Rolling Stones - No Security
7. Millennium Funk Party (Rhino Records)
8. Widespread Panic - Light Fuse, Get Away
9. R.E.M.- Up
10. Fiji Mariners (featuring Col. Bruce Hampton) - Live
The Sayonara Live show for my band, Mr. Danger and the Safety Foreign Boys, was a great success. We sold out Namazu-Tei (Catfish Club) again. We've gotten quite a few fans in the past half year. One fan,a "Yankee" boy, came to the stage and asked to shake all our hands before we started playing. We played for one and a half hours without a break. Then we played two encores. We had several guest artists. One Japanese singer, Sugar Ken, sang two songs: Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
and "Mustang Sally." It was fun playing new songs. As always, I enjoyed playing the Rolling Stones songs "Under My Thumb" and "Not Fade Away." I hope I can get in a band in Tokyo!(2/12)
Last Sunday, I went to Sendai for a JALT (Japan Association of Language Teachers) meeting. The speaker, who came all the way from Fukuoka, was Paul Shimizu of Intercom Press. Before the talk, I stopped by my favorite restaurant, Vino, a great Italian restaurant on Chuo Dori. I had my favorite eggplant and parmessan pizza with Italian red wine. The JALT talk by Paul Shimizu was excellent. He introduced lots of practical ideas for making large classes more interesting with fun activities/games, such as Bingo and information gaps. I especially enjoyed playing Bingo with other teachers. It was fun to be a student again. After the talk, we went to a local izakaya for sashimi, yakitori, and Dai Joukis (big beers/jokes?).
Before leaving on the shinkansen, I visited the legendary Sendai jazz club, Vile Van (Village Vanguard). When I first moved to Sendai, I used to go to Vile Van every week because they had gaijin discounts on beer and food. Things got a little crazy there as more and more foreigners came to town and they had to stop the gaijin discount.
The trip back to Japan was very smoothe. My mother drove my father and I to the airport, and my father got me in the first class Delta lounge. The orange juice there was so excellent that I complemented the waitress saying it was better than any orange juice in Japan. A man seated nearby seemed angry about my comment and said, "Yeah, but you get used to it (Japanese orange juice)!" I always get culture shock when strangers challenge my statements in America! I had the perfect travel companion on the airplane, a Japanese salaryman who only said thank you, please, I'm sorry, and excuse me. I got some sleep and enjoyed watching the movies "Out of Sight" and the "Parent Trap" on the plane. I got my luggage and cleared customs quickly, but I got lost finding the train (a first) and then dropped my bags down the escalator causing an escalator traffic jam. I took the Narita Express and arrived at Tokyo Station around 5:30, which was a very busy time. I had to run with three bags to catch my train at the last minute. Unfortunately, a man in front of me was smoking a cigar (in a non-smoking section!), so I moved, but in my next seat, I was surprised to suddenly hear a dog barking in front of me, so I moved again. Next, I found myself seated next to a man wearing a bright flowered shirt and white shoes. He opened his wallet to buy a drink and I saw the thickest stack of 10,000 yen notes I've ever seen! He was obviously Yakuza (mafia), but he was very quiet, so I didn't move again. I enjoyed seeing the bright Kanji neon signs and hearing the girls say "Nanka Sa" and "Chigau Yo!" after a long break. Japan seems so fresh after my vacations! My Japanese, though, has gotten rusty (bad). My Fukushima taxi driver seemed dissatisfied with my directions of Massugu, Massugu (straight); Migi Migi (right); and Hidari Hidari Hidari (left); and Stoppu! I was happy to get lots of new year's cards. Thanks Tomodachi (friends)! It's good to be back in Japan.
My winter vacation is sadly coming to an end. As usual, I've been shopping like a madman the last week. I bought lots of books and magazines to help kill time at work. Last night, we had a family dinner at home in which we mostly talked about our craziest friends. My musician brother Tinsley, of course, has the craziest friends. Tinsley was excited because he will start recording his first CD for Capricorn Records with a great producer soon. This afternoon, I went to a sayonara lunch with my sister Marnie and her two sons Harrison and Ty. I taught Harrison how to write his name and happy new year in Japanese. Tonight, we went to an all-you-can-eat ("Tabehodai") at a country club. I tried three types of pie for dessert! I leave for Japan on Tuesday (arriving in Narita on Wednesday). I have to go back to school on Friday. Oh my god, ne!! I'll be soooooo tired! I'll write again from "yuki kuni" Fukushima. (1/3/1999)
My father and I drove his truck down to Florida, and we stayed a few relaxing days in sunny, warm Ft. Lauderdale, a little north of Miami. It was so nice not to have to wear winter clothes for a few days. On the way to Florida, we stopped in Macon for lunch at the famous S&S Cafeteria. I had culture shock there, since Macon is sooo Southern. People talked very funny there. In line, a man kept trying to get my father to move in front of him in the line. He said, "Don't yewww (you) wanna stand with yer (your) Maaamaa (Mother)?" Most people were dressed up for church except for the city folk (us) from Hotlanta. My father didn't seem to enjoy my driving music (Lenny Kravitz, Z.Z.Top & the Grateful Dead). He said that Billy Gibbons (Z.Z.'s singer) was a "terrible singer." We spent the night in Orlando and had dinner at one of America's top 10 steakhouses, Charley's. The steaks were incredibly delicious! The next day, we spent a few hours at UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!! I especially enjoyed Twister, King Kong, and the Alfred Hitchcock show (including a staged version of the shower murder scene from "Psycho"). We drove through the rain, which magically cleared up as soon as we reached Ft. Lauderdale. I spent most of my three days in Ft. Lauderdale walking the beach, watching movies, hanging out at used book stores, and eating at some of South Florida's best restaurants. I also finished reading Souseki Natsume's classic novel "BOTCHAN." I saw three great movies: You've Got Mail (Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan), Shakespeare in Love (a fictional comedy--very funny), and Stepmom (with Georgia beauty Julia Roberts and the the great Susan Sarandon; a real tearjerker). I think I liked "You've Got Mail" best. I was interested in it because it's about an internet romance. My parents' condo is on Ft. Lauderdale beach. You can see the cruiseships pass out of Port Everglades on their way to the islands outside the window. Lots of "Yankees" (people from up north) live in the building, so I had more culture shock. Northeners speak Very Directly. An elevator broke down in the building. While riding the other elevator, an angry old man stared at me and said, "Did you break that elevator, son?!" I kept my cool and just said, "No sir, did you?" I later found out the old man is crazy and paranoid. He's always accusing people, including my father, of scratching his Cadillac with keys. I had yet more culture shock in Miami Airport this morning. Lots of people were speaking Spanish and Portuguese there.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! AKEMASHITE OMEDETOU! KOTOSHI MO DOUZO YOROSHIKU NE!!(12/31)
An old high school roommate spent the night at my house last night. We were both tired, so we went to see De Niro's newest action movie, Ronin. It rocked! Today, my father and I will drive down to Florida for a few days. We'll probably spend the night in Orlando and spend a few hours at Universal Studio on Monday. Then, we'll drive down to my parents' condo on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. I'll visit a college roommate in Miami Beach Tuesday or Wednesday. I always enjoy going to Miami as it's one of the craziest places on earth! (12/27)
I'm having a great time in Atlanta. I've seen some good movies, including Practical Magic, There's Something About Mary (too funny!), A Night at the Roxbury (good "Nanpa" jokes), and Wild Man Blues (a Woody Allen documentary). I went with my younger brother Ralph to Blind Willie's blues club to see a live show by Georgia's king of the blues, Chicago Bob Nelson. My brother knew the drummer so we got on the guest list. Chicago Bob remembered me from the old days, and he said "how ya doin' David?!" from the bandstand, and we had our picture made together after the show. Bob was the "Mississippi Organ" (harmonica) player and lead singer in my brother's first blues band, The Heartfixers. Chicago Bob's show featured classic Chicago blues by the likes of Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. The band was great featuring my older brother's bass player Wayne, who played a super cool longhorn Electro bass. I'm dying to buy a longhorn bass now.
I'm now in Atlanta on winter vacation. I will write about Atlanta soon. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! HO HO HO!! (12/21)
Last night, my band played a special Sunday live show at Namazu-tei ("Catfish"). We played two sets this time. We packed the club again with musicians and English students. I was sick with the flu, so I sang my two songs first. I sang "Fixin' To Die Blues" and Chuck Berry's "Don't Lie to Me." The Chuck Berry song got a good response--maybe because it's a very fast and loud rocker. I also enjoyed playing the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb," the Ventures' "Wipe Out," and the Clash's "Brand New Cadillac." (12/14)
Last weekend was quite busy. I taught two early morning classes on Saturday, and then my school let me leave early to go to Omiya for teacher training at the national conference for JALT (the Japan Association of Language Teachers). More than 2,000 teachers came to the conference, and I got to hear my favorite trainer, Tim Murphey, talk three times. I taught my students some of Murphey's conversation strategies today, and they seemed quite interested. I also heard useful presentations on language games and pronunciation exercises. I stayed on the 27th floor of the Prince Hotel in Sunshine City,Ikebukuro and enjoyed dining at Burger King and Subway.
I caught a ride with a teacher friend to Sendai last weekend. Outside of Fukushima City and Koriyama, Fukushima is very country (SUGOI INAKA)!! I met my old band at a studio, and we went to Kokubuncho, Sendai's bar district. It was Ted's (Groove Monster's singer) Sobetsukai (Sayonara Party). We went to a 60's style club named Chop-Onz. The next day, California Dave and I ate lunch at my favorite Sendai restaurant, Vino. (11/19)
My band's ("Mr. Danger & the Safety Foreign Boys") last live show at Namazu-Tei was a big success. The show sold out, and lots of people were turned away at the door. We rocked loud and hard for an hour and a half. I played guitar and sang Bukka White's "Fixin' to Die Blues." It was the first time I played electric guitar live, so I was a little nervous. The band is still sloppy, but our audience acted like we were the Beatles. Japanese audiences are "ICHIBAN" (number one)! We plan on doing more shows in December and January. (11/14)
The "Below Average White Band's" first show at the girls'junior college was way above average, so we changed the band name to "Mr. Danger and the Safety Foreign Boys." There is a lot of disagreement about which one of us is Mr. Danger. We couldn't have asked for a better audience. The "girls" clapped and screamed through the whole show. It was a real "ego trip."
I'm enjoying country life more now. I 've been hiking three times this month. I played guitar at my school's kindergarten on Tuesday. I taught the children the "Alphabet Song" and "10 Little Indian Boys." I joined a new band with other foreign English teachers. We're going to play two shows in the next few weeks. We're not so excellent, so we named the band the "Below Average White Band." At night, I've mostly been going to the local blues club Namazu-Tei (Catfish Club), which has the best orange chu-hai in town. For the past three months, work has been "ASA MESHI MAE" (a piece of cake), but I'll be teaching about 16 hours again starting next week. (10/18)
Under My Thumb
Love Potion #9
Peace, Love and Understanding
Don't Lie To Me
Tie Me Down at the Crossroads
Mama Don't Allow No Guitar Playing 'Round Here
Rock This Town
Time To Quit
Six Days On the Road
Aiko Aiko
Good Lovin'
Turn On Your Lovelight
Fixin' To Die Blues
Big Boss Man
One Way Out
Jambalaya
The Weight
Squeeze Box
Brand New Cadillac
Not Fade Away
You've Got Mail
Shakespeare in Love
Stepmom
Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen)
Wild Man Blues
Practical Magic
A Night at the Roxbury
Ronin
The Parent Trap
Austin Powers (International Man of Mystery)
As Good As It Gets (with Cuba Gooding Jr.!)
Out of Sight
Sling Blade
Saving Private Ryan
The Horse Whisperer
Truman Show
Seven Years in Tibet
Blues Brothers 2000
Wag the Dog
Good Will Hunting
Scream 2
Jackie Brown
