So, I know I haven't written for a while - and yeah, I feel pretty bad about it. I've been trying to keep on top of the blog entries on sites I'm required to write, the ones I'd like to write, and the ones I really should write. This blog is, unfortunately, part of the third category which also makes it the lowest on the priority scale...it doesn't receive as much TLC as it really should given the circumstances <3.
In the time since the last entry, I explored the Japanese countryside on an unofficial tour, went to Osaka on a whim and randomly went out to a pub with a bunch of natives, had interesting experiences on public transportation, bought far too many souvenirs, got addicted to okonomiyaki, turned 30, met new friends, watched them graduate, met a random old Japanese guy that wanted to practice English on me, had dinner with two Japanese fighting game players, got to play one in a game of Street Fighter IV (and lost horribly), ate Okinawan food, played DDR, cried myself to sleep after E3, and never once had to use a Gaijin Superpower.
Though for sanity's sake, I think I'll stick to the highlights...but before we get started, an incredibly important announcement. I can finally say for certain that I'm going to be accepting the temporary contract for the Code-Foo Software Engineering position at IGN Entertainment in San Francisco. As a budding game journalist myself, this is a pretty big deal. For those that don't know video games, IGN pretty much the game journalism equivalent of the NFL - it has a lot of power, a lot of renown, and a lot of reach. Regardless of whether the IGN position will lead to a full-time offer, the potential for learning new technologies and making significant industry connections there - particularly with my unique background - is something I couldn't afford to pass up, even when considering some of the benefits of some of the other options I was exploring. In any case, I'm very excited, but I've deviated enough. Let's get back to our regularly scheduled highlights!
1.) Going into the countryside was far more interesting than I expected it to be. I got to visit Ennoji, one of the largest active temples in Japan. It's still in use, with resident monks running about and various ceremonies happening throughout the temple. There are also photo gestapo following many of the tour groups around. I don't think the other people noticed, but an employee of the temple was tailing us during the entire tour. As sick as I am of this kind of treatment, I understand why they do it. Taking pictures of the monks, trainees, and ceremonies is forbidden, after all, and for all they know we might not actually understand that. I did manage to find a couple of souvenirs for my mom, as she didn't tell me before I studied in Japan last time that my late grandfather had an affinity for small Buddha statues. This time I made sure to pick something up and I think my mom will appreciate it.
2.) I got to visit Obama. No, not the President... the town in Japan. And no, Obama Japan has nothing whatsoever to do with President Obama, but that certainly didn't stop the town from trying to cash in. From large caricatures of President Obama to small lanyards with "I love Obama" and "The Obama for Obama" written on them, references were everywhere. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any Obama themed snack cookies or crackers, or I would have picked up a box to take home. Another interesting thing about Japan's boondocks - even though everyone's off of work on the weekends, most shops and restaurants are closed. In downtown Obama, which is packed with shops, only a small Japanese eatery and a pachinko parlor remained open on a Saturday, while everything else was completely shut down. This concept was alien to me as I had never seen anything like this before, but it turns out the tepid economy is making it difficult for many places to stay open. That said, it probably makes more sense to open a touristy shop when tourists will actually visit it, ne? Sometimes Japanese logic perplexes me.
3.) The moment I was both eagerly anticipating and was a little nervous about finally arrived: I got to have dinner with pro players Yuko "ChocoBlanka" Kusachi and Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi. After the awkward introduction at EVO last year when my nerves got the better of me while attempting to act as an interpreter for them, it was good to finally sit down and just casually chat in Japanese for a couple of hours with zero pressure. The additional conversation practice that SILAC Intermediate provides is incredibly helpful. There wasn't a single moment of awkward silence and I was able to gather plenty of material for the articles I was working on. Yuko let me choose what we were going to eat - I picked a miso katsu restaurant since the dish is relatively famous in Nagoya. I talked so much I actually had a hard time eating quickly and was the last one to finish - gaijin FAIL :-)! I was pretty proud of myself, and they were both very welcoming and very nice. Though, I must say: compared to some of the other people going to school here, such as my friend Brad, I still get nervous when making the initial contact. If I already have a reason to talk to someone? No problem. If I don't, and I just want to talk to some random person for the sake of talking (a.k.a. "shooting the shit"), I get really nervous. It's something I've been trying to work on.
4.) As part of the experience meeting with Yuko and Yusuke, I humbly requested, if there was time after the tournament I was covering, to play a match against Yuko. Unsurprisingly I lost pretty badly, but I did get a few hits in. Considering Street Fighter IV isn't exactly my strongest game, I think I gave a decent enough performance, though you'd never catch me doing that again. I actually recorded it and may post it here for future reference should I be over the shame I experienced by then. :-) Or not. I can now say with giddiness that I got the chance to fight against one of the players I write about!
5.) While walking around Nagoya, I found myself approached by a random Japanese dude while waiting for a train. He asked in really nervous, broken English "You know English?". I responded in Japanese, "Yeah, I'm American". He suddenly got really excited and proceeded to sit next to me on the train, whipped out a pocket photo album, and proceeded to explain in English about his family, his teachers, and his reasons for studying the language. Turns out the guy was in his 70s, retired from work, with the goal of eventually becoming a tour guide in Nagoya - which apparently requires a certain level of English. He told me he was taking English classes for a couple of hours a week, and his English was surprisingly good, though his pronunciation was more "off" than with younger people I've talked to. It was easy for me to understand him because I know Japanese phonetics/syllables, but if another random American were to talk to him, it probably would have been a bit more difficult. In any case, the guy was really friendly, followed me off the train, and walked with me to Akamon-doori. As luck would have it, there was a festival going on, so after we parted ways I got a chance to interact with even more locals and eat a lot of delicious street food. Consumed deliciousness included: Katsu Curry on a Stick (Minnesota State Fair please take note), Negiyaki, and custard-filled fresh Taiyaki. One thing I do get sick of is the whole 上手ですね thing. Every time I talk to anyone in Japanese outside of Yamasa that isn't a store clerk, the first thing they always say (in order to be polite) is "wow, your Japanese is good". Keep in mind this is usually after saying little more than "Hello", so it does get annoying. Personally, I'm just happy I can be understood most of the time.
With that, I'll stop here for now, but part 2 is coming soon. This time, I promise!
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