Marlow Makes Art: Nagoya, Japan

marlow moves

2010-06-27T14:36:00.003+09:00

looks like as of today i'll be abandoning blogger and moving "marlow makes art" to tumblr. thanks for all those who followed me on this blog. why the sudden move you might ask? tumblr just seems to be easier to share media and network which is what i'm trying to focus on. you can continue to follow me on tumblr.

thanks everyone!

still filming

2010-06-22T09:55:00.005+09:00

we're still truckin' along with fatblueman's "take my heart" music video. the weather was awful last sunday which put filming on hold. hopefully next sunday's weather will be nice enough to film our outdoor shots. in the meantime enjoy these photos i stumbled upon taken a couple months ago at a fatblueman gig at shooter's.

flickr set

minxy mentioned

2010-06-07T08:02:00.009+09:00

as of right now fatblueman's "minxy" music video has about 37,000 views thanks to mentions by hannah minx herself and japanzine, one of the biggest english magazines here in japan. right now we're working on fatblueman's next music video, "take my heart." it's his first song written in japanese. we're hoping to get it featured on youtube japan. expect to see that video sometime at the end of this month.

flickr set

minxy

2010-05-24T23:30:00.008+09:00

ok here it is. my cool video of the month.

as i mentioned in an earlier blog post i have been involved in a youtube collaboration with some popular fellow jvloggers on youtube. here's the result- the fatblueman "minxy" music video. its about our fellow jvlogger, hannah minx and her rise to fame. be sure to check out all the people that were involved in this video's info box on youtube. be sure to watch it in HD and let us know what you think!

chinaramas

2010-05-14T15:02:00.004+09:00

here are some panoramas of beijing taken on antonette's kodak v1253 point and shoot. quality is not as good as my canon, but it takes some nifty pics with it's built in panoramic with auto stitching function. enjoy!

flickr set

Beijing

2010-05-12T12:25:00.006+09:00

again, sorry for not keeping this blog updated this month. i've been busy with work and side projects. keep an eye out for a youtube collaboration video i've been working on with fatblueman and miss hannah minx. also i'll be making a short series of videos about our recent 5 day trip to china. i'll try to have that started by the end of this month. until then enjoy these photos!

flickr set

HDRocky

2010-04-24T22:29:00.005+09:00

this month has been pretty busy so i haven't been blogging as much as wanted to. we're going to china during "golden week," sort of a spring vacation here in japan. we'll be spending 5 days or so in beijing. expect video of that early may. i'll probably have photos to go along with it. in the meantime i've been playing around with fake HDR photos in iphoto and photoshop. pretty easy to do with nifty results. here are some samples of rocky in his different stages of puppyhood. let me know what you think or if you have any tips. i'm going to try to get better at this later.

flickr set

chikatetsu

2010-03-31T23:45:00.008+09:00

here are more recent subway photos taken with hipstamatic for iphone. pretty nifty results. my friend mike suggested making a small coffee table book after a while of the good ones. i think i might do that. let me know if you want a copy. enjoy this slideshow for now.

flickr set

benito middle's japanese food and culture questions

2010-03-29T22:41:00.003+09:00

this is the first video response to questions about japan sent from students from benito middle school in tampa, florida. these are their questions about japanese food and culture. if you're here in japan already then watching this 10 min video might be a bit of a bore. if you're abroad and curious about what japan is like then take a look.

one day four lines

2010-03-19T00:17:00.008+09:00

this is one of the last days i'll be working at kuwana in mie prefecture. i'll miss the kids and the staff, but i wont miss this thursday commute. it takes about an hour one way door to door and takes four different train lines to complete the the journey. here are some pictures using the newly updated hipstamatic for iphone. these are views from the various train lines during my commute. enjoy.

flickr set

square 1 (ft. derrius dean)

2010-03-10T22:29:00.006+09:00

looks like i have a solid production team to shoot fatblueman's "take my heart" music video that has been long overdue. here is a quick video of the three of us testing out our canon kiss x3's. it was mostly shot with a "plastic fantastic (canon 50mm f1.8 lens)." lots of fun that day.

creative commons music by: jemex (ft. derrius dean)
video by: marlow gum, yeelee wong, masanori shimamoto

e shiritori

2010-02-23T13:21:00.006+09:00

i learned this new picture game recently from one of my students. shiritori is usually a word game. you say a word and then say another word beginning with the last letter of the previous word said. you can add themes to it too. we usually use 'food' as a theme a lot cause i'm super hungry in class all the time. e shiritori (picture shiritori) takes the game a step further by drawing pictures instead of just saying words. here are a few examples. my students all draw pretty well!

rocky

2010-02-14T11:37:00.004+09:00

here is another video by antonette. a tribute to our new italian greyhound puppy, rocky. check out her original post here.

antonette on the runway

2010-02-14T00:09:00.006+09:00

antonette has been getting a few modeling gigs lately. here is a video she put together of her recent modeling job at a famous fashion school, here in nagoya. we should be getting a dvd of her going down the runway later. for now, watch this video of her and some friends getting dolled up by the fashion school students and check out her original post here.

snow day

2010-02-06T21:34:00.002+09:00

believe it or not these pics are from the 2nd floor view of ECC's headquarters in kanayama, nagoya. it's a residents, but also a "business." it's a holy place where couples bring their newborn children to get blessed. it also happens to be the home of one of my students. as you can see it snowed a good amount this morning during my commute to work. snow is still very mysterious to me because i grew up in florida. this is only my second winter in a place that snows.

the photos were taken and color processed entirely on my iphone using autostitch, camerabag and photo fx.

mobile version

antonette and takeshi

2010-02-05T11:07:00.007+09:00

so i mentioned earlier last month that antonette was in an ad campaign with kitano takeshi along with a few other of our coworkers. this video is of the posters and billboards she appeared in all over town and on the trains and subway. check out the tv commercial if you havent already.

what's in the bag?

2010-02-03T09:42:00.004+09:00

here are some photos. all of them were taken, processed and uploaded through iphone apps only. the first pics are of my 10th floor class room by nagoya station and are made by using autostitch then color processed with camerabag all on the iphone. last few are made with hipstamatic. all photos were uploaded using flickr for iphone. shhuper shhweet!

mobile version

Odani Misako 小谷美紗子 - Who - Cover by Fatblueman

2010-02-01T22:48:00.005+09:00

new addition to our new fatbluetube channel. this live performance was filmed friday, jan. 29th, 2010 at john's place and edited by yours truly. take a look. i recommend taking advantage of youtube's new 1080p HD option if your computer can handle it. also, check out this neat mobile video of them practicing i shot on my iphone just before their performance.

daichen, take my heart

2010-01-31T17:04:00.003+09:00

here is a quick video done by a pretty popular jvlogger here in aichi and fatblueman's #1 fan, daichen. you might have seen him recently on my channel in the fatblueman's "a fat blue christmas" music video. he was kind enough to give me a shout out for the album art that i did. you can see it beside him as he plays.

R.I.P. Rodger Swan

2010-01-31T16:42:00.003+09:00

fellow jvlogger, Rodger Swan, has suddenly passed away. it's amazing how fast you learn things on twitter. i wish i knew him better than just a guy i subscribed to on youtube. i wasn't a huge fan of his, although he did have many. thousands even. his videos may have been a little too cute and cheesy for my taste, but they were always good, well edited and just fun to watch. if you're checking out my blog for a foreigner's perspective of living in japan you should check out his youtube page. Rodger has a lot more experience than i do and his youtube page would be an excellent resource page.

japarents (part 1)

2010-01-26T10:05:00.003+09:00

here is part 1 of my parent's visit to japan last summer. i know, i know - it's long over due. better late then never right? and it's nice to see a bit of summer during this miserably cold winter.
in the video you'll see some delicious food, inuyama castle, and cormorant fishing; a traditional japanese fishing method where they train cormorants to catch fish and then choke the fish out of the cormorant before the cormorant has a chance to completely swallow the fish- pretty neat!

we're on iTunes!

2010-01-22T15:22:00.003+09:00

the new fatblueman album, "still a long way off," is up on iTunes along with my album cover ;)

it's still available for free on jamendo if you're short on cash, but want to listen to good music.

10th floor classroom (mobile video)

2010-01-18T22:43:00.003+09:00

here is some quick footage of my new swanky classroom on the tenth floor of one of the ritzy places in town. pretty nice view. having a shhhweet view of the outside world keeps the day a little more interesting.

antonette's ECC commercial

2010-01-13T10:13:00.006+09:00

i mentioned earlier that antonette has been in a new ECC ad campaign that includes both printed ads as well as a tv commercial. the ads are with takeshi kitano, one of the most famous actors/filmmakers in japan. below is the tv commercial as well as one of the two printed ads. the printed ads and tv commercial can be seen nationwide. so far we've been seeing the printed ads on the subway and trains here in nagoya. pretty exciting stuff!

leaving on a jet plane

2010-01-11T09:25:00.005+09:00

fatblueman just started their new youtube channel thats strictly for their music videos and their music production. the first video is up. it's a live performance recorded at my place. it's mostly just a test video to test filming techniques. the audio isn't the best, but we know how to fix that in the future. on another note fatblueman's new album, "still a long way off," is in the top 20 most downloaded albums on jamendo recently. if you haven't got it go get it. it's free. here is the first video on the new fatbluetube channel.

antonette underneath herself (mobile video)

2010-01-09T18:30:00.003+09:00

Antonette has been in a new series of ECC national advertisements. we were on the way to a grand opening of one of our schools when we noticed we sat down beneath one of the ads on the subway. more video of this to come later.

express train to dreamland (mobile video)

2010-01-08T01:28:00.005+09:00

snapped this on the way to work this morning. check out this guy fighting to sleep in the upright position on the subway. we've all been there. so fun to watch.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (mobile video)

2010-01-01T14:00:00.003+09:00

happy new year everyone! hope everything goes well for you all in the new year. here is a quick video of us this morning at our friend's house. it snowed through the night!

beef tongue

2009-12-28T18:00:00.008+09:00

this is an update video, but for those of you who hate those (like myself) it's also a taste test video.

youtube japan featured!

2009-12-24T22:16:00.006+09:00

that's right, suckas. fatblueman's "a fat blue christmas" music video has been featured on youtube japan! check it out if you haven't already. over 9,000 views and growing.

fatblueman update

2009-12-20T21:03:00.003+09:00

here's a recent fatblueman update video. looks like i'll be helping oot in the future. stay tuned for for more future collaborations!

a fat blue christmas

2009-12-18T00:34:00.004+09:00

so after a a week or two of editing we we finally finished fatblueman's "a fat blue christmas" music video youtube collaboration.... what?... i didnt tell you i was working on that?... whoops....

anyway, no hard feelings. sorry for keeping you out of the loop. enjoy the show.

new fatblueman album

2009-12-16T09:53:00.008+09:00

check out the new fatblueman album on jamendo. i made the album cover. it's just one of the things i've been doing while i've been taking a break from blogging. so check it out! the album is free!

they also have great videos on youtube and have been featured on youtube japan.

busankevin xmas collab

2009-12-14T23:01:00.003+09:00

here is a quick and fun happy holidays collaboration video from busankevin on youtube. if you don't know kevin be sure to check out his awesome japan vlog... oh, we're in it.

Koshoji temple.

2009-11-10T14:04:00.000+09:00

Holy crap, I haven't blogged in awhile. It's because of combination of being sick for most of a month and then recently moving into a new place (huge headache because of the language barrier). Lots of stuff to come.

Here is a pic taken from a near by park. It's actually part of a huge temple complex (koshoji temple). Some pics of that to come later as well.

-- mobile post from my iPhone

camel castration!

2009-10-09T19:35:00.005+09:00

this is also a test video using motionbox. the previous HD hikan videos were hosted on 'viddyou', a small hosting site which has gained popularity and the attention of motionbox. so this week viddyou has annouced they have just been bought up by motionbox. we'll see how it goes. be sure to check out the original post @ hikanninja.

mobile version

cheesecake soap?

2009-10-07T21:44:00.016+09:00

wanna giant disk of soap? yea, me too.

mobile version

beyonce water

2009-09-21T18:17:00.001+09:00

this is a little old news, but still cool if you haven't seen it already.

mobile version

digital traffic

2009-09-20T22:50:00.003+09:00

it just makes sense.

mobile version

amurican chips

2009-09-16T09:58:00.014+09:00

on the way to work i found these chips an a local convenient store. i like the little potato character on the back side. kinda leprechaun looking with an uncle sam hat. i didnt know oregon was famous for potatos. as for the chips, they were pretty good. ruffles style and flavored with tobasco. very americanish i guess.

shishkacycle

2009-09-15T11:18:00.003+09:00

check out our friend's mobile grilling invention.

mobile version

sumo in nagoya (slideshow)

2009-09-08T12:29:00.002+09:00

here is the photo slideshow of my first sumo experience.

mini cooper bikes

2009-08-31T01:38:00.003+09:00

after a year of walking like common folk, antonette and i finally got around to buying a pair of bicycles. take a look.

mobile version

super lemon soda?!

2009-08-24T22:35:00.003+09:00

super lemon is one of my favorite japanese candies and i just found out they make a soda version of it. fantastic!

mobile version

sumo in nagoya (hikanninja.com)

2009-08-22T18:58:00.003+09:00

enormous, pseudo naked, sweaty fat dudes smacking each other's jiggling man-breasts sound like a good time to you? you're either a perv or a sumo fan.

check out marlow's first experience watching sumo @ hikanninja.com (july 17th, 2009).

mobile version

On the way to a clinic

2009-08-12T15:37:00.001+09:00

Another auto stitch test
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Summer is here

2009-08-05T15:03:00.001+09:00

Our summer vacation officially starts tomorrow. I have a ton of videos to edit and post so keep a look out for those. In the meantime I'm trying out this new panoramic software for the iPhone called "auto stitch." it seems to be a lot easier to use than the previous application I've been using, panolab pro, but it also seems to lack the manual controls that panolab has. I think I'll stick with it though. Here's a sample.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Kirin lemon

2009-07-22T16:48:00.002+09:00

Best lemon soda... Ever!
-- mobile post from my iPhone

freebell mansion

2009-07-21T00:25:00.005+09:00

it's been 2 months and we're finally settled into our cozy new apartment. it's double the space and about $100 a month cheaper than our last place so we're really happy about our cost of living being really low. we're also really close to nagoya station which makes it perfect for our commutes.

mobile version

kyoto in march 2009

2009-07-20T08:58:00.003+09:00

this is a late video of our first trip to kyoto in march 2009. we'll be going back again with my parents in about 2 weeks so keep an eye out for a sequel to this video.

mobile version

$95.00 for a melon

2009-07-11T00:18:00.002+09:00

Ever wonder what a $95 melon looks like? Well here you go.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

antonette's bday, ice carving in osu & fatblueman @ shooters

2009-07-07T09:28:00.004+09:00

here are some videos of us recently that juan made. be sure to check out his youtube page as well.

fatblueman @ shooters

2009-07-05T14:19:00.003+09:00

it looks like fatblueman is breaking up. fortunately i got to see them play together (almost together) one last time at a popular local sports bar, 'shooters.' take a look at the photos below and be sure to check them out on youtube.

tandem puking

2009-07-03T20:08:00.003+09:00

i dunno why, but i still find these types of sightings so funny. it's gross and not uncommon, but seeing a couple throw up together? kinda romantic and not so common... or maybe one threw up first and it was so gross it caused the other to lose their dinner as well? in any case it's still funny.

mobile version

fatblueman @ the applestore

2009-07-02T23:17:00.005+09:00

this is local band in here in nagoya. they're also pretty famous on youtube in japan. their band is made up of both foreigners and japanese members. recently i got an opportunity to meet them in person through a mutual friend; pretty cool people who play pretty cool music. they let me take some pictures of their recent gig at the applestore downtown (sakae). i hope to see them more often in the future. be sure to check them out on youtube and in the meantime check out my photos from their applestore performance below.

pepsi shiso

2009-06-28T23:30:00.002+09:00

pepsi shiso is a new drink by pepsi here in japan. it came out last week. i would have had this video up soon, but i spilled a bottle of soda all over my keyboard and had to get my macbook repaired. how ironic.

sorry the video is really noisy. the room was poorly lit and i did my best to lighten it.

click here for standard definition.

drawings from work.

2009-06-26T23:38:00.012+09:00

i was cleaning out my work bag this evening and i found some old drawings of some japanese coworkers. i haven't seen them in a while since i work at different schools this year. it's nice to see them again.

Farmer tan showdown

2009-06-25T11:53:00.002+09:00

On the way to the applestore this morning to get my MacBook repaired (I spilled mitsuya cider all over my keyboard in my sleep) I saw these 3 kids on the subway having what appeared to be a lengthly discussion about their famer tans. I should have shown them mine. They would have been blinded.

On another note, I am still cameraless. Hopefully that will change next month.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

My future partner

2009-06-12T21:03:00.002+09:00

There she is. The canon rebel T1i, known as the canon kiss x3 here in japan. It looks like after I save up some money I'm going to buy this lovely piece of hardware. I lost my HD camcorder and I feel naked without it. I already have a canon rebel (the first rebel body; it's a dinosuar, but a solid workhorse), but this new kiss x3 is both a digital slr and HD (up to 1080p @ 20fps) video recorder. It will cut down on the amount of devices I carry around. Can't wait. We're going to get along famously.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

iphone lightsaber battle

2009-06-09T12:47:00.002+09:00

bumming around our new apartment and testing out our iphone lightsaber app.

click here for standard definition.

Better than IBM

2009-06-08T14:59:00.002+09:00

There is some sort of school for technology, maybe a design school- I'm not sure, in this spiral tower next to Nagoya station. One of my students told me it's called HAL (as you can see in the photo) because they wanted to be "better" than IBM. So they named it HAL, H comes before I in the alphabet, A before B and L before M. Therefore HAL > IBM? I think it's pretty funny.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Nanzan for lunch

2009-06-04T13:57:00.002+09:00

Ramen at nanzan. I'm still trying to figure this ramen shop's strange operating hours. Good ramen though.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Kamejima station

2009-06-03T16:06:00.001+09:00

Kamejima station on the higashiyama line. It's not as close as hisaya odori was to our old apt., but at least it takes us directly to sakae without transfering.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Toyohashi on Tuesdays

2009-06-02T22:26:00.003+09:00

On the way to toyohashi from our new apartment which is only a 15 min walk from Nagoya station. Another beautiful day in japan, though I have yet to find my beloved canon vixia hf100 HD camcorder. Where oh where can you be?
-- mobile post from my iPhone

sticky tom yum nuts

2009-06-01T23:17:00.000+09:00

i love thai tom yum soup, but i'm not sure i like these nuts.

click here for standard definition

higashiyama zoo

2009-05-31T14:47:00.000+09:00

the local zoo here is pretty popular. i can't even remember the last time i went to a zoo. it was a fun day, but slightly depressing to see all those animals in cages.

click here for standard definition

A beautiful sad day

2009-05-31T14:28:00.001+09:00

It looks like I lost my HD video camera during the move this weekend. I'm still hoping it turns up. It's getting in the way of enjoying this beautiful day.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

moving day

2009-05-29T13:22:00.001+09:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=b64a9972c0b4720b3dbb2137b618622002959bab8ba3cd995

We're moving today. Some video and photos of that to come later. In the meantime, please enjoy the sweet sound of my voice.

___
Sent via VR+

On the way to kuwana

2009-05-28T13:57:00.000+09:00

On the way to work. This one's not so great.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Free soda

2009-05-28T13:31:00.001+09:00

Free mitsuya cider being handed out outside my apartment this morning. It's going to be a good day.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

On the way home panolab

2009-05-27T22:16:00.000+09:00

I'm trying to get better at using this iPhone panoramic software before north Korea bombs us to pieces.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Panolab pro for iPhone

2009-05-27T10:45:00.000+09:00

Testing some new settings on my iPhone camera while waiting for the train. I'll check out the quality later.
-- mobile post from my iPhone

Swine flu only a matter of time

2009-05-26T22:37:00.001+09:00

I read that there are over 200 reported cases in osaka only an hour away from nagoya on honshu, an island completely connected by train systems... This guy is ready though... Bring it...
-- mobile post from my iPhone

public toe cleaning by captain aichi

2009-05-24T18:13:00.000+09:00

you gotta do what you gotta do.

click here for standard definition.

Mountain dew?!

2009-05-23T22:03:00.001+09:00

I found some at a small stand on a subway platform near our apartment. I don't even drink the stuff, but it seemed rare...

I'm also testing out this new blogger iPhone app, hope it works ok.
-- Post From My iPhone

We're sick (mobile post)

2009-05-21T11:25:00.001+09:00

We're in a local clinic waiting to make use of our Japanese national
health insurance. Hope it's not swine flu.

On a side note, in japan, pigs say "bu-bu" instead of "oink-oink" like
they do in the states.

Antonette has a more stylish leopard print face mask.

penis festival 2009

2009-05-11T11:23:00.000+09:00

'hounen matsuri,' better known to the foreigners living in japan as the 'penis festival' is a crop fertility festival held annually in order to ensure good luck with future crop harvests. the festival is held in different locations and at different times throughout japan. this particular 'penis festival' was held in komaki, aichi, a small town north of nagoya.

check out hikanninja for an insider's look of japan.

click here for standard definition.
click here for the flickr slideshow.

no pants?

2009-05-11T00:26:00.000+09:00

antonette was out to lunch with coworkers when she stumbled upon these 2 girls handing out advertisements at a busy street corner to god knows what. check out how they get attention.

click here for standard definition.

Higashiyama zoo (mobile post)

2009-05-10T15:57:00.000+09:00

We're at higashiyama zoo in Nagoya. More of this to come later.

takeshima revisited

2009-05-06T22:47:00.000+09:00

a while ago i made a slideshow about our visit to takeshima island off the coast of gamagori here in aichi. our friend juan took a lot of footage and put it together in a nifty 2 part video. check it out.

to check out his original post click here.

kids kabuki festival slideshow

2009-05-05T13:19:00.000+09:00

here are more photos of the children's kabuki performance/festival that we went to this weekend in a small town in gifu. juan is making a video of the event- i'll post it later. in the meantime enjoy these photos and be sure to use flickr's fullscreen function to do the photos justice.

Nanguu shrine (mobile post)

2009-05-03T16:08:00.001+09:00

We're now at nanguu shrine, just downhill from the previous temple we
were just at. I took this photo using 'panolab' ap for iPhone. I'll
check the quality from my MacBook later. More to come.

Shinzenin temple (mobile post)

2009-05-03T15:52:00.001+09:00

after the kabuki festival our friend, Yukiko, has taken us to a local
temple just a few min drive from her house in Gifu. More to come later.

kids kabuki festival (mobile post)

2009-05-03T10:41:00.001+09:00

we're at a kids kabuki festival in a small town in Gifu, japan. kids
(only boys) are dressed in traditional kabuki costumes. more of this
to come later.

Super lemon OH! (mobile post)

2009-05-02T20:19:00.001+09:00

Aww, yea. I used to get these at a local Asian market back in the
states. I just found them at a local shop around the corner from our
apartment.

I like how the price tag was placed over the lady's eyeball, the two-
toned flavor explosion in her mouth, and her speech bubble explaining
that the candy is 'powerful.'

Get somes.

what time is it? (mobile post)

2009-05-01T14:45:00.001+09:00

It's ramen time.

We're having ramen in sakae (downtown). It's not a plate of pulled
pork or any other of my favorite American foods, but it sure does put
a smile on my face.

beautiful nagoya (mobile post)

2009-05-01T14:39:00.001+09:00

antonette and I are out running errands on this unusually nice day in
nagoya. It feels like a nice day in florida. I hope this is just a
taste of what is soon to come. The winter here was torture specially
for us since we grew up in florida. Walking to work in the snow is fun
for the first 3 minutes.

Happy birthday Yukiko! (mobile post)

2009-04-30T19:17:00.000+09:00

we're having dinner at this really cool cafe to celebrate her
birthday. The cafe is designed like a house; a really homie feel. You
can even watch old episodes of full house in the living room...
Seriously...

colonel mustado (mobile post)

2009-04-30T17:00:00.000+09:00

juan and I are out shopping for our friend Yukiko's birthday gifts and
we stumbled upon 'cluedo' (japanese version of 'clue').

setsubun 2009 (hikanninja.com)

2009-04-30T12:09:00.000+09:00

setsubun is a festival famous for 'soy bean throwing' for good luck. this particular festival was filmed at osu kannon in nagoya, japan.

click here for standard definition

for more about japan visit my pals @ hikanninja.com

winston and churchill

2009-04-29T12:06:00.000+09:00

antonette and i decided to take our relationship to the next level... so we got some fish.

winston and churchill tragically died after a few weeks due to a stupid pet shop salesman and our inexperience with pet fish.

this video is in memory of them.

click here for standard definition.

old red flower green dress lady (mobile post)

2009-04-28T22:25:00.001+09:00

thank you for the company on the way home tonight. my left side was
feeling a bit cold, but then, as if in direct response to my
sensitivity to cold, you boarded the train at okazaki station... I'm
almost too warm now.

Sleepy businessman (mobile post)

2009-04-28T14:52:00.001+09:00

I've been riding the trains in aichi regularly, but this is the first
time a businessman has fallen asleep on me. First time for everything
I guess. I'm going to wake him up by whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

karaoke night

2009-04-27T10:45:00.000+09:00

japan isn't japan at all without karaoke. fortunately for us we live next to a variety of karaoke bars.

after a bite to eat at our local favorite indian restaurant the gang heads out to sing some epic tunes.

click here for standard definition

small small island, big big wind.

2009-03-23T15:33:00.000+09:00

last week our friend yukiko invited us to go see takeshima island. it's a tiny little island in aichi, japan located off the coast of gamagori city. luckily our friend juan arrived a couple of days earlier and was able to join us. it was an incredibly windy day.

takeshima is only 19000 square meters and is connected to the shore by a 387 meters long bridge. it's a japanese national treasure; take a look for yourself.

"ryo"

2009-03-17T01:40:00.000+09:00

i cant say it. i'm still trying.

can't watch HD? click here

hounen matsuri ("penis festival") photos.

2009-03-16T17:27:00.000+09:00

i'll have video of this event on here soon. until then here are the photos of the event. hounen matsuri, better known to all the foreigners here as "the penis festival" is a famous annual event held in a town called komaki, just north of nagoya. the penises serve as a metaphor for crop fertility and the festival is held for good luck for the upcoming crops. at least thats what i'm told.

this is texas.

2009-03-10T11:57:00.000+09:00

i had my students @ gifu daigaku (university) play a couple of rounds of pictionary. these are their drawings of "texas."

til death do us part.

2009-03-08T22:39:00.000+09:00

i was standing on the quiet end of ozone subway station platform when i heard some shuffling behind me. luckily for me i had my camera and as you can see they didn't notice me taking their picture. a little cheesy, like one of those inspirational photo posters with a word followed by a "definition" intended to give hope and inspire. but i think it was an interesting sight nonetheless.

old lady with bags on the subway.

2009-03-02T00:41:00.001+09:00

this lady means business. i don't know where she's going but she sure doesn't pack light; check out those bags under her eyes. looks like she's not coming back for a while.