Well today is a complete write off... thanks to my third (and most definetly last) bonenkai of the week.
Yesterday was the Starfire bonenkai party, which was always going to get messy. When Bancho and Fujimoto are around it always does. I think the 4 hours original plan went a bit out the window seeing as we started at 8:30 and got home around 3 or 4am. Those swines they really know how to destroy me, or actually my liver. We hit two jubs in Shinjuku, the scene of my Saturday adventure... the first jub, Kachikachiyama, was somewhat civilized, but by the time we stumbled to the second evil jub we were all in bits.
It goes without saying I browned out, very little memory of what went down there or even leaving there. Come to think of it did I take my jacket and scarf?? Shitttttt!!!! Ah well. But today me and the girls were meant to go to an outdoor anime rave in Shinjuku that started at 12pm, well the girls made it, but alas my body is still in pieces and it's 6:30pm now. And I still need to get presents for four people.... damnnnnnn. Well still got over an hour until the shops close.
You see Christmas starts tomorrow for us here in the Thunderdome. Jasmine being Swedish means we get to celebrate Swedish Christmas day which is on the 24th.... weirdly. And then of course English Christmas day is on the 25th. I need to make paper hats, no crackers over here. Starfire tops off Christmas day and then after a hangover day it's off to England for new years. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to going back to England, who would have thought? But once I'm there I know I'll be craving my real home that is Tokyo. And three weeks without my kids, ohhhh how I'll miss them.
Oh by the way (this post is all over the place isn't it...). One of my favorite girls at school, Ann-chan, it was her last ever day at the kindergarten on Monday. Her parents are moving to England, so she'll be going to school there. Her Mum took some photos of me and Ann-chan which she printed out for me, and she wrote me a letter. I really had to hold back the tears. So sad to know I'll never see them again. What am I going to be like when the oldest kids leave in April. Ahhhhh mannnnnnn!!!!
Anyway I better get those presents sorted and wrapped. Toodles.
Thursday 23 December 2010
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Fear and bloody bonenkai loathing!!
My life gets more and more fear and loathing with each passing year, and Saturdays Bonenkai has to go down at the top of my list of most stupidly awesome adventures ever. Bonenkai is a tradition in Japan where people get together and drink away their sins from the year. An awesome tradition I'm sure you'll agree, but a tradition that was always going to get messy if you know what I'm like....
The story goes a little something like this....
Just your average pre Christmas Saturday night with my fellow Tokyo drinking buddies. We're in the heart of Shinjuku so jub alley it is, also known as memory lane. Ok, let's get one thing straight about drinking in Japan, if you're going to do it right you have to hit a jub (Japanese pub) with crates. That is, if you aren't sitting on a pile of crates in someones converted living room, well you are worthless as a person and I will not associate with your kind. Memory lane is one of the few crate jub areas in Shinjuku, of course if you head to places like Nakano and Koenji the jubs and crates are everywhere. But I digress. It was pretty ram a damma ding dong as far as the booze eye could see, but after awhile we got pulled into this most useless of jubs. Over priced, shit drinks, a chunder bucket by my feet. This is no way to kick of a bonenkai!!! So we move on.
To a 100yen jubber!! The promised land! This is how a bonenkai should be started, and started it was! Drinks flowed, laughs were had, but alas little Jasmine had a club night/concert to go to at midnight. Being rather tipsy myself and my fellow boozers decided to join her. So to Loft we headed for some hardcore noise dj rubbish. Of course myself and my drinking partner in crime who I shall refere to as 'Dickhead', we stuffed whsky down our pants and were ready to rock and roll. It was all average fun and dancing until we were hit by a sentence so deadly I hardly dare repeat it.....
JAGER SHOTS FOR 100YEN......
Well, those swines were just determined to kill us weren't they, and at 100 yen a pop it was just a matter of 'keep them coming'. Vague foggy memories of a spiritus bottle as well entering the arena, but of this I can not be sure. It goes without saying it was at this point it all went badly wrong. I lost everyone else at what must have been around 4am, quite a feat being a small venue. Suddenly the urge to leave came like a wave crashing sown upon my bruised brain. Foggy visions of me crashing out the doors and up the stairs, emerging with no idea where I was. Woe is me!!!
Now.... I was planning to book my flight home to England for new years that same day, and because of that I had a cool 130,000 yen in my wallet. Around 1000 pounds in real cash. The next part I cannot and will not write about, it's gonzo and fear and loathing but.... this is far to public a place to divulge such tales. So I must appologise and sensor myself, a pussy I am. If you really want to know what happened contact me via Facebook or someother form of internet magic.
BASICALLY..... In my drunken bonenkai tornedo state.... I was robbed. I lost everything. No return for new years, not even my train fair home. It has to go down as a top 3 lifetime train wreck.
The moral of the story? There is no moral, or at least run when you hear the magic sentence 'jager 100yen a shot'.... But managed to wizard up the money again the next day so it was only a minor inconvenience.
よかったね!!
The story goes a little something like this....
Just your average pre Christmas Saturday night with my fellow Tokyo drinking buddies. We're in the heart of Shinjuku so jub alley it is, also known as memory lane. Ok, let's get one thing straight about drinking in Japan, if you're going to do it right you have to hit a jub (Japanese pub) with crates. That is, if you aren't sitting on a pile of crates in someones converted living room, well you are worthless as a person and I will not associate with your kind. Memory lane is one of the few crate jub areas in Shinjuku, of course if you head to places like Nakano and Koenji the jubs and crates are everywhere. But I digress. It was pretty ram a damma ding dong as far as the booze eye could see, but after awhile we got pulled into this most useless of jubs. Over priced, shit drinks, a chunder bucket by my feet. This is no way to kick of a bonenkai!!! So we move on.
To a 100yen jubber!! The promised land! This is how a bonenkai should be started, and started it was! Drinks flowed, laughs were had, but alas little Jasmine had a club night/concert to go to at midnight. Being rather tipsy myself and my fellow boozers decided to join her. So to Loft we headed for some hardcore noise dj rubbish. Of course myself and my drinking partner in crime who I shall refere to as 'Dickhead', we stuffed whsky down our pants and were ready to rock and roll. It was all average fun and dancing until we were hit by a sentence so deadly I hardly dare repeat it.....
JAGER SHOTS FOR 100YEN......
Well, those swines were just determined to kill us weren't they, and at 100 yen a pop it was just a matter of 'keep them coming'. Vague foggy memories of a spiritus bottle as well entering the arena, but of this I can not be sure. It goes without saying it was at this point it all went badly wrong. I lost everyone else at what must have been around 4am, quite a feat being a small venue. Suddenly the urge to leave came like a wave crashing sown upon my bruised brain. Foggy visions of me crashing out the doors and up the stairs, emerging with no idea where I was. Woe is me!!!
Now.... I was planning to book my flight home to England for new years that same day, and because of that I had a cool 130,000 yen in my wallet. Around 1000 pounds in real cash. The next part I cannot and will not write about, it's gonzo and fear and loathing but.... this is far to public a place to divulge such tales. So I must appologise and sensor myself, a pussy I am. If you really want to know what happened contact me via Facebook or someother form of internet magic.
BASICALLY..... In my drunken bonenkai tornedo state.... I was robbed. I lost everything. No return for new years, not even my train fair home. It has to go down as a top 3 lifetime train wreck.
The moral of the story? There is no moral, or at least run when you hear the magic sentence 'jager 100yen a shot'.... But managed to wizard up the money again the next day so it was only a minor inconvenience.
よかったね!!
Thursday 16 December 2010
Hearto Catchy YES YES!!
Christmas in Japan, it just aint Christmas is it.
It looks like I'll be heading to good old England for new years, hurrah! Should be leaving on the 27th, which means I get to spend Christmas here with my Japanese family, as in the ever wonderful Jazz and Gabs. We get to celebrate Christmas on the 24th and 25th seeing how Swedish Christmas is the 24th and English Christmas is.... normal and on the 25th. Should be a good one topped off with Starfire para night on the 25th at midnight. Perfect Christmas times! Our wonderful friend/lodger, Diana, is coming over from Sweden as well. Excellent! I am really looking forward to being back in the UK, even though I know I'll be bored of it and longing for Japan within a day of being there.
I got a 10% pay rise at work, BOOM!! Almost a year working there now, can't believe it. One of my favorite girls, Ann-chan is leaving on Monday for good, sad times. Her parents are moving to London and she'll be going to school there. I've been helping her Mum with her English lol. We had our Christmas show this week. All the classes put on a performance ranging from dance to plays. Some of them were so so like a scene from Mean Girls. Jingle Bell Rock baby....
First thing I do when I'm in England? Cadburys, pasties and cheese! I am bringing a LOT of chocolate back here with me.
Anyway before Christmas there's lot's of drinking and chundering to be had in the name of bonenkai. A yearly tradition here where you end the year drinking your sins away with friends, and who am I to argue! Only two more days of school and then I'm off till the 11th. Good because I could do with a rest, but bad because, well, who will I play tag and pretty cure with in the mean time???
It looks like I'll be heading to good old England for new years, hurrah! Should be leaving on the 27th, which means I get to spend Christmas here with my Japanese family, as in the ever wonderful Jazz and Gabs. We get to celebrate Christmas on the 24th and 25th seeing how Swedish Christmas is the 24th and English Christmas is.... normal and on the 25th. Should be a good one topped off with Starfire para night on the 25th at midnight. Perfect Christmas times! Our wonderful friend/lodger, Diana, is coming over from Sweden as well. Excellent! I am really looking forward to being back in the UK, even though I know I'll be bored of it and longing for Japan within a day of being there.
I got a 10% pay rise at work, BOOM!! Almost a year working there now, can't believe it. One of my favorite girls, Ann-chan is leaving on Monday for good, sad times. Her parents are moving to London and she'll be going to school there. I've been helping her Mum with her English lol. We had our Christmas show this week. All the classes put on a performance ranging from dance to plays. Some of them were so so like a scene from Mean Girls. Jingle Bell Rock baby....
First thing I do when I'm in England? Cadburys, pasties and cheese! I am bringing a LOT of chocolate back here with me.
Anyway before Christmas there's lot's of drinking and chundering to be had in the name of bonenkai. A yearly tradition here where you end the year drinking your sins away with friends, and who am I to argue! Only two more days of school and then I'm off till the 11th. Good because I could do with a rest, but bad because, well, who will I play tag and pretty cure with in the mean time???
Thursday 9 December 2010
Samurai blue
Merry run up to Christmas from Tokyo yo.
School..... my job. It's what I live for now. I'd give up everything else in life for those damn kids.... So yeah, in the past month it's been pretty fun times at school, lot's of festivals and little events, the main one being the school bazaar. That was fun fun fun. Basically the school and outside turned into one big market with each room having a theme, like Christmas, hand made goods. As well as food and games outside. I picked lot's of sentimental treasures and a mini beer pump for 500 yen.... home nama's are mine! We've had loads of small events like yesterday was the monthly birthday event and I dressed up as Santa and sang 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. Loads of fun. I was santa for another schools Christmas party as well lastweek which went really well, they loved my Santa comedy stylings.
I don't know why I get on so well with kids, they just love me and I love them. Who would have ever thought that would happen. It's most certainly my calling to work with kids, although lets have less of the work and more of the play....
Life outside of school is good right now. It's all about the para and the jubs, that's Japanese pubs.... and it's really about the crates. If you go out drinking in Tokyo you have to drink somewhere where you sit on crates. It's the cheap authetic option. Ohhhh don't get me started on karaoke.... always best times ever, but always so messy with so many hours all you can drink. You can guarentee I'm getting into an arguement with the staff at some point. Either the drinks have no booze in them, oh wait I'm a mess maybe they do.... or they try and charge you triple for being a silly gaijin. In reality I'm just stupidly drunk and causing a scene....
My work visa I've decided to take my time with it seeing as I need a new passport and it takes 6 weeks to get one, time would have run out on my current visa. SO I'll have to leave the country and do a visa run, come back into the country on a six month tourist visa. Of course I'll still work, I mean vollenteer.... But it menas there's no rush. So I'm planning on a Christmas holiday to England, hopefully if all goes to plan I'll head over around the 21st and return around the 12th. It seems strange to want to have a holiday in England, but I would like to see family and friends, and just chill out in a real house for a bit. And I really want to remember why I love it so much out here, and I will do after a few days in the UK, that's for sure. But if this trip doesn't work out I'll spend Christmas here with everyone and do a visa run to Korea in January.
Oh yeah that's what else happened with school, we went to the theatre. Well.... it was to see the Japanese version of the Tweenies. It was ohhhhhh so weird, but of course fun
Hmmm I'm thinking if it'd be a good idea to get my own place in the new year. As fun as it is living with two of my best mates I really do crave something more than a corner of a living room. Time to upgrade and level up I think. Need more space!!!!!!
Ja ne laters yo
School..... my job. It's what I live for now. I'd give up everything else in life for those damn kids.... So yeah, in the past month it's been pretty fun times at school, lot's of festivals and little events, the main one being the school bazaar. That was fun fun fun. Basically the school and outside turned into one big market with each room having a theme, like Christmas, hand made goods. As well as food and games outside. I picked lot's of sentimental treasures and a mini beer pump for 500 yen.... home nama's are mine! We've had loads of small events like yesterday was the monthly birthday event and I dressed up as Santa and sang 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. Loads of fun. I was santa for another schools Christmas party as well lastweek which went really well, they loved my Santa comedy stylings.
I don't know why I get on so well with kids, they just love me and I love them. Who would have ever thought that would happen. It's most certainly my calling to work with kids, although lets have less of the work and more of the play....
Life outside of school is good right now. It's all about the para and the jubs, that's Japanese pubs.... and it's really about the crates. If you go out drinking in Tokyo you have to drink somewhere where you sit on crates. It's the cheap authetic option. Ohhhh don't get me started on karaoke.... always best times ever, but always so messy with so many hours all you can drink. You can guarentee I'm getting into an arguement with the staff at some point. Either the drinks have no booze in them, oh wait I'm a mess maybe they do.... or they try and charge you triple for being a silly gaijin. In reality I'm just stupidly drunk and causing a scene....
My work visa I've decided to take my time with it seeing as I need a new passport and it takes 6 weeks to get one, time would have run out on my current visa. SO I'll have to leave the country and do a visa run, come back into the country on a six month tourist visa. Of course I'll still work, I mean vollenteer.... But it menas there's no rush. So I'm planning on a Christmas holiday to England, hopefully if all goes to plan I'll head over around the 21st and return around the 12th. It seems strange to want to have a holiday in England, but I would like to see family and friends, and just chill out in a real house for a bit. And I really want to remember why I love it so much out here, and I will do after a few days in the UK, that's for sure. But if this trip doesn't work out I'll spend Christmas here with everyone and do a visa run to Korea in January.
Oh yeah that's what else happened with school, we went to the theatre. Well.... it was to see the Japanese version of the Tweenies. It was ohhhhhh so weird, but of course fun
Hmmm I'm thinking if it'd be a good idea to get my own place in the new year. As fun as it is living with two of my best mates I really do crave something more than a corner of a living room. Time to upgrade and level up I think. Need more space!!!!!!
Ja ne laters yo
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