Low on Funds

Downgrading from 88 yen Megmilk brand coffee jelly to 3 for 88 yen Meiji brand... cafe jelly? You see the difference. You must add your own cream. And it has less than a third of the calories. Now you know.

Ayabean asked me how my New Year's Resolutions were going and I realized I forgot to make any. I'm usually really into New Year's Resolutions. So I've just been making up late ones as I go along. 1. Cook more often. I'm so fucking lazy but I've been pretty into simple cooking lately. I should try more complicated things but I'm broke and I'm LAZY and I can eat anything. Apple & cinnamon grits! SATISFIED. (I can't believe anyone doubts how good this is? Look at it. Delicious.)

2. Wear normal eye makeup more often. I am a big fan of looking like a kinderwhore junkie garbage skeleton but see, I can be reasonable once in awhile. It makes me MySpace pout I guess, but. I like this picture and any other pictures of my dresses together. It's almost warm enough for flimsy dresses again! I can't wait to go shopping. How stoked do you think I am that jumpsuits are back?



I LOVE jumpsuits. Actually I'm into the cotton nineties-floral ones that will probably be on everyone this year like last-year's short floral skirt + white top + cheap black belt (BARF). But I can always get with disco so I hope I can find some of that, too.

Last note, while we're on disco, check this song. Cannot stop listening.

Shibuya Crossing

Aya and I were at the Tsutaya Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing talking about what an important snapshot of Tokyo this is for most visitors. What's higher on the must-see list?

The giant screens on the skyscrapers playing weird commercials and blaring JPop, the obnoxiously dressed kids, the neatly timed stampedes through the giant crossing. It is pretty breathtaking. Everyone remembers that beautiful scene in Lost in Translation when Scarlett Johansson comes here on a rainy day and takes it in.

The Starbucks from which Sofia Coppola shot part of that scene is still one of the absolute best places to people-watch in Tokyo, especially with a friend.

One of the best and cheapest afternoons you'll spend here. It takes ages and nerve to get window seats, but it's worth it, because you can look down and JUDGE THE ENTIRE WORLD.

Stupid hat. Great hair. That's my type. Nanpa fail! What about him? Cute couple. Nice jacket. LOL college boys. Nooo, gyaruo spring fashion! They look fun. What's she going for? Epic socks!

This is nuss!

Cashew Nuss?

WALLLNUSSSS.

DYLAN MCKAY IS MY TYPE

I've been doing lots of stuff lately. I think. Haven't I? I feel like I have.



But I can't remember right now because it's almost 4AM and the wind is shaking my entire building and making me seasick -- true story. Where in the world does that happen?



Don't worry about me, though.

PARFAIT TIME

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

Bottom right features a Mrs. Kikuchi, apple juice, and a high five on the side. Apple juice was a popular drink accompaniment.


If I'm to eat a cheese parfait I'll be needing a cheese spoon.


THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Yaki-Yaki Parfait at bottom left, impressive.


Chocolate ice cream, tamago sushi, sweet potato, natto soda, vanilla ice cream, red wine. Child, you are the future.

Is it still winter?

Then I'm still compulsively making things.

These are called DEVILED EGGS, see? I put wasabi in them.

These macaroons = 3 ingredients + chocolate.

My first American biscuits! I'm so proud, even though I should have cut them with a knife instead of a jar. Their dome-iness didn't affect their deliciousness so it's okay.

Sada Abe

I love the story of Sada Abe and Kichizo Ishida as much as I hate Twilight. I can't believe something so perfectly grotesque, erotic, sick, romantic and terrible actually happened. Their personalities and relationship and the way it all went is too mysterious and wild to even deal with. They were insane.

Last night I FINALLY got to watch Ai No Corrida (English title: In the Realm of the Senses), the 1970s art film by Nagisa Oshima that was inspired by the affair. I was scared to watch it because I love the story so much often when movies are based on interesting people and affairs, they water things down for no reason and everything gets trite and pointless (have you seen Bright Star? Barf Star) and Abe and Ishida are quite a lot to handle. But this movie is so good. So beautiful and creepy and sexy and upsetting. This film was widely edited and banned upon release. Unsimulated sex acts are filmed incredibly close up and in detail, plus handfuls of various taboos shown and mentioned. I've never seen a more explicit movie and I found the last scenes hard to watch. But I absolutely loved this beautiful, beautiful film. Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

P.S. Watch out! You can't watch the original version in Japan. It's crazy censored which is like putting big ugly holes in the entire mood and theme of the film. So lame. The uncut version is available in the US and many other countries, and you can find it online like I did.

All Over

I've got too many pressing interests right now. Today I'm really into yodeling. I heard that yodeling was originally a means of communication between mountain peaks in the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Badass.



I have this big thing for the Appalachian and Ozark regions of America. Almost all of the first white settlers of Appalachia came from around the Scottish/English border (that insane Appalachian dialect has more Scottish influence than any other American dialect), and after that tons of German and Swiss people came. That's why Appalachian folk music sounds like Scottish/English ballads with yodeling. Did you know?



Are you with me?

March March March

Shit, who has anything to say on March 2nd of any year?

I can't stop eating spinach. I've been eating it twice a day for like two weeks. I came home one night and my roommate was making it and I thought shit that looks good and now it's all I can take. Last week I had spinach and chicken for breakfast and then the school lunch was spinach and chicken. I fucking own this city. No one pushes me around on the train now because they can tell I've replaced all my meals with spinach and I'm listening to Immigrant Song on repeat throughout my entire commute. I did fall down the escalator the other day, though.

In other news:

1. I only have a couple more weeks left at my elementary school and then I get a long broke spring vacation and then I'm starting a new teaching job that I'm trying not to be too excited about (but I think it might be awesome).
2. If I don't see the Pacific soon I'm gonna dry up. I need a seaside getaway somewhere not too far from Tokyo, with big wet trees.
   
3. My birthday is in April!
   

Fantastic Japan Blog

1000 things about Japan that I will and won't miss when I eventually leave.

Does everyone already know about this? This person is making one concise little entry, with a photo, for each thing she expects to miss or not miss when she leaves Japan. It's so readable that it was painful to tear myself away from it long enough to make this entry.

Edit: Except for the backpack post. But I can deal.