DY-NO-MITE!!!

B-1 Dynamite you cocktease!!!

Nomihodai (all you can drink) but only for the ladies, which is fine normally I just steal female friends drinks, but last night I was on my own and there were pretty much like no girls I know there.

What a tease!!!

But B-1 was awesome as always. This week they had a second dance floor which was all maniac, which is very rare in the para scene these days. I know there's no maniac at any other para club in Tokyo. The main floor was all normal euro and techno. I love the euro at B-1 the most I have to say, they play loads of random 3rd boom stuff that tests even the best para peoples memory. The end euro set is always awesome recent starfire stuff, so much fun, and the techno is always a killer mix of old, new and B-1 techno. They played a bunch of techno songs back to back that were to die for. Something like Hell World, Killer, and Just Like A Gun. I'd say dancing those.... better than sex. YES!!

Anyway.. the lesson was:

Sex Skiller / Go Go Girls (danced by Ke-tan)



Good club night as ever! I was going to hit up Chiba Euro Rave on Friday for about the first time in a year but alas it's cancelled, probably eartquake damage to the venue boooooooo!!

Here's the last Starfire DVD, vol 19 that I promised:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YH9BP869

Also if anyone has any dvd requests feel free to hit me up.

School graduation, sad times!! B-1 returns to save the day!!!

With everything that's been going down in Japan the past few weeks my schools end of year graduation passed by without too much celebration. In fact I almost forgot it happened, well, not quite.

We held it on March 15th only a few days after the earthquake and tsunami, so everyone was still really on edge about the whole situation, aftershocks were still hitting pretty much hourly and the threat of the Fukushima nuclear power plant going up in smoke was very real. So understandably the huge graduation ceremony we have every year for the oldest year was cut short. It was such a shame because so much preparation goes into this. From the kids practicing the formalities of recieving their certificate and singing their song, to the parents putting on a big show, as well as tearful video montages from the kids.

But alas we only had the formalities of the certificate giving, as well as the speeches, all the songs, and the class photos outside. We did have a few aftershocks hit during everything but only small tremors, and this being Japan everyone ignored them, they didn't exist. But of course it was still so so sad, knowing you're seeing around 60+ of your best friends for the last time. WOE!! And that's what they are, my best little mates, I love them so much I could burst.

The best part of the day was after all the formalities were taken care of and the parents are having lunch and just staying around the school, it's a time I use to say goodbye to everyone and wish them the best of luck at elementary school, and of course take a lot of photos with everyone. I managed to fit in a five minute last game of football with the boys and game of tag with the girls. Some of the girls wanted the flower on my suit so had a jan ken show down for it. FOR MY LOVE!!...

How can you not adore these faces!!

And that was graduation, short and sad. I have two weeks of spring holiday before the new year starts where I get to meet a whole new gang of awesome guys and girls. During the holiday some of the kids come to school for nursary, which is basically just a hangout while their parents are at work. But it does mean I get to hangout with some of my favorite graduated kids for a bit longer. I guess on Friday I will have to say goodbye to them for real, but the new year shall be fun fun fun, so no need to be sad.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the day <3

Those are some sweet mother fucking photos!!

B-1 Dynamite returns tonight after a three week hiatus. YES!!!!!!!! Should be awesome as ever, look out for the lesson video tomorrow and Starfire vol 19 DVD. Para plans for the week?

B-1 Dynamite - tonight
Chiba Rave - Friday I'd love to go to but that never happens.... jubs instead
とある小杉の超舞踏会＠武蔵小杉Throb (ex Jager Paradise) - Saturday if I am not passed out
Magical Rave - Sunday..... wouldn't miss it for the world!!

And.... Starfire DVD filming on Saturday!! Our song is New Horizon which is pretty sweet, I've been practicing in front of a mirror like a maniac. Must be perfect!!!!!!!!!

It's our house's (The Thunderdome) Hanami picnic on Sunday in Ueno Park, looks like a lot of people are coming. Hanami is always so very brutal, you have no choice but to drink drink and drink some more. No doubt the spiritus will be flowing.

If you haven't seen them the lessons for Starfire are up on youtube already thanks to Tsubasak3. I love love love 'Baby Come Back'. Here they are:

Baby Come Back / Virginelle



Luna Matada / DJ Energy or Zorro...



Laters <3

Starfire, SEF Deluxe 009 DVD, and other weekend adventures

The weekend is done and time to relax. Oh wait... it's Monday, time for work. Seeing as it was Starfire and SEF Deluxe back to back there's no chance of that happening. What a beast of a weekend!!

Oh yeah I just thought I'd say, although I'm going to be posting a lot of parapara news, reviews and videos on here, this little blog isn't just a parapara blog. It remains my personal blog, so if you you just wanna come on here to grab the para stuff go ahead, feel free to ignore the other rubbish. Saying that here's how my weekend went down....

Friday was a late one at school as it was officially the last day of the school year and a few teachers were leaving. It was all very sad with speeches and presents and WOE!! Very sad, but I'll stay in contact with a couple of them. My mate is being a pussy and heading to England for a week or so because of parental preasure, you know, radiation in Tokyo and all that...a lot of westerners left for the same reason. But I digress... drinks in Shimo Kitazawa, that was the point. Such a good area to drink in, so many funky jubs. I actually biked from Shin Nakano where I live to jub central, it's only about 5 or so k's, but it's a lovely ride if you take the back streets. I do love biking around the backstreets of Tokyo getting lost, interesting times. I actually got so very lost trying to get home though, ended up going west instead of north. Managed to get back somehow, it always works out, and ended up boozing in my apartment watching girlie movies... good work drunk Max.

Saturday meant only thing... STARFIRE!!!!!

That pretty much sums Starfire up. Yoshiyuki having a bottle of Tequila shoved down his neck. DRINK IT!!! The night was the same usual awesome mix of dancing to some great mixes and drinking an insane amount of alcohol, what more could you ask for. It was Bancho and Ryuichi's Birthday month so it was always going to be brutal. They celebrated by having a champagne downing contest on stage...

That turned into DJ Teru forcing a bottle tequila on everyone. Good work man!

The lessons were....

Baby Come Back / Virginelle
Luna Matada / DJ Zorro

I forget to film them... but I'll upload the video from other sources asap.

Euro was pretty good though, no Sex Skiller, but that'll take a lot of beating XD Techno was DJ Zorro and sounded like everything ever and was average at best. Great Starfire, we came out alive, which is all that matters in the end. Well, me and Lucie just managed it, just. Heather lost the battle of the booze ;p

I only just made it...

Got back from Starfire around 7am, passed out, woke up at 3pm still drunk.... shitttt SEF starts soon. Well fight fire with fire, hit the beers and get ready! One booze train later and I'm at club A-life paying a massive 4000yen because it's a dvd release night. Mother fuckers raping my wallet!! It's all good!

SEF is a very different feeling night to Starfire, to me it feels a lot more about the dancing and has a bit of an older feel. Nothing wrong with that, and I love the mix they play, often it's the only club that plays SEF songs, and I love me some SEF routines! Saying all that the barman at A-life, who you can see on the new dvd, well he is a menace and will give you pretty much a full glass of tequila. BAST!! For some reason I always dance way more techno at SEF, probably because they play a mix of all the clubs techno.

Lessons were.... I can't remember, Paracenter is your friend there.

Here are the videos:

IT's A Party... I think. Techno lesson:



Euro lesson: Sideways for some reason....



AND here's the SEF 009 DVD, ENJOY!!!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/rjhajk

I'll start ripping all the Starfire DVD's starting with vol 19 counting back to vol 01, and the last two 9loveJ DVD's, vol 08 and 09. So look out for them.

Peace out.

MORE PARA!!

I realized I never post on this bloggy blog about the thing I love the most in life, that of course is parapara. Silly really when I bet there's lots of para loving people out there who would love to read about events around Tokyo and the adventures that unfold at them. So let's change that, I'll start writing about the nights I go to and put the lesson videos up as well.

At the minute, in Tokyo at least, it feels like a time of big change for the para scene. For awhile now attendance at the traditional big para nights has been getting lower and lower and it seemed like we could be left with a really small community of die hard para fans going to the same few events every month. But I've noticed recently that a lot of younger gal circle type people are more seriously getting into it. Obviously para is always associated with gal circles, it always will be, but they only now the odd routine and don't really go to actual club nights. But recently there's been maybe half a dozen guys and girls around 18 who have been at para nights, and they all know a hell of a lot of routines, which if you do para you know takes a bit of dedication. So you can tell they aren't into just a fad but actually really love it. There's even a guy and girl I've seen recently coming to nights who know a lot of maniac routines, I was impressed. I know 6 people or so isn't a lot but it only takes a few in a group to get everyone else going.

The last two para nights I've been to is where I really started to notice a bit of a new generation coming through. For awhile there's been a few younger people on the edge of events looking like they want to get into para, but most younger people that go to para nights tend to give up and disappear, and for some reason they always look at me on the dance floor for the routines. But lately everybody has known all the newer stuff, more than I do, and they were all pretty awesome to be honest. And at the last night I went to, Koiwa Blue Keys, it was 90% people under 21 and it was such a good mix of songs, everyone was drinking and just having a good time and loved the para.

I can see what the future holds for the para scene in Tokyo if things continue. The big traditional clubs will shrink to having just the same old para people, playing the same playlists and doing what they do, or they will die. I think 9loveJ is close to vanishing, and it's their own fault for being such a closed non friendly clubnight. I don't think many people would shed a tear and just remember how good it used to be. SEF and Starfire will always continue as long as para exists, just because they are so much fun and most people in the community goes to them. They are like the definition of para. But a lot of other nights need to reach out to the younger crowd if they don't wanna have piss poor attendances.

B-1 Dynamite is such a paradox. The staff and especially the organiser always wants it to be the most fun night, more about having a drink and a laugh rather than serious business para, obviously you can have a good dance and a laugh at the same time. But B-1 for some reason has become more the serious business para night, and for that reason most younger people stay away. For them to continue being a weekly night they need to do two things.

1. Lower the price.
2. Reach out to gal circles and get involved with them now.

I shall definitely be going to more random nights that I didn't fancy going to before, and maybe those gal circle events I always get invited to. It's a good job I get on really well with all these kids, don't wanna be considered part of the old school, luckily I fit right in with both crowds. Whatever becomes of the para scene it will always be around, still way to many people who would die without it.

Incidentally, B-1 dynamite is cancelled for the 3rd week running this week, but that's due to earthquake rubbish. I will have para on a Wednesday so I'm having a B-1 vs Roppongi Street at my house. Wonder how many people I can get to come. 9loveJ is also cancelled, but Starfire and SEF Deluxe are still on this weekend, should be a good one. SEF is a dvd release event so expect a rip of SEF DX 009 on this here blog next week. Also on April 2nd myself, Jasmine and Heather, will be joining the Starfire crew to film the next Starfire dvd. Exciting!!

And here's the last lesson from Magical Rave because I haven't seen it online anywhere. Can't remember the name of the song, little help?

I feel the earth move under my feet

Well it's been a surreal week to put it mildly...

So you heard about that small earthquake that hit japan last week, well i just happen to live in Japan. Tokyo to be exact. Well let's start at the beginning, Friday the 11th when the Earthquake hit.

It was 2:45pm, I was at school with the remaining kids, around 30 or more, playing dodgeball outside on the grass. Suddenly the head teacher ran outside and started yelling something, and everyone was like 'get down on the grass there's going to be an earthquake'. Now we have many earthquakes in Tokyo, but they feel nothing more than a bus going by. this however.... was a beast. It started lightly and I was standing up thinking this is nothing, then it really hit and everything started rocking and rolling, and it just seemed to get stronger and stronger. I was looking at the school and the shrine next to it thinking, 'if this gets any stronger they are both coming down.' Infact the shrine was going side to side so much I was sure it was going down. And then there's the huge tree in the middle of the school playing field. At the time I just kept on thinking if that starts to fall I can only carry maybe four kids, and I actually grabbed them close to me ready to run.

But it finally stopped after what seemed like minutes, the ground continued to move in circles for a couple of minutes and then it was over. It's school procedure that as soon as a big earthquake hits all the parents come and pick up the kids. So I was just looking after people until they were picked up. In the next hour we had two more big shocks, each time we had to hit the deck and pray they didn't get any stronger. It wasn't until around 5pm when we checked the news that we saw the real devastation in and around the coast of Sendai. That's when we knew we were the lucky one's. It was amazing to think we'd just been involved in one of the biggest earthquakes in the world. It measured a 6 where I was, nowhere near as big as the the epicenter north, which was a 9, but still huge. It really hit home when I saw all the teachers worrying about friends and family up north, especially as all the phones were down. Most teachers were struggling to get home as well with all the trains being down. I was really lucky living walking distance away. Although I ended up staying with a friend near the school. Nobody wanted to be alone that night with all the aftershocks going on.

The next day we woke up to see the devastation on the television, and to find out that the Fukushima nuclear plant was in trouble. Since then it's been very surreal. Pretty much every westerner I know in Tokyo has gone back home to wait this all out. One of my housemates has left for good. The stores are really bare even now, which means I have been sans breaded goods for over a week. Power is being conserved everywhere in Tokyo, which means the main city centers are so dark and dim and just so not like Tokyo. And of course there's the constant threat of the nuclear plant, although that has been getting better for quite awhile now. I'm really not worried about that at all anymore. It was slightly scary on Tuesday when my Japanese coworkers were starting to get worried about news of a radiation leak. Even the speakers on the street were saying stay indoors if it rains acid....

But it all seems fine now just over a week on. We still get regular medium size aftershocks, but I'm almost used to them now. They just wake me up and rock me back to sleep. Of course people in the tsunami affected area aren't as lucky and the effects will be felt for many months to come, and it goes without saying that my thoughts and prays are with everyone involved. But here in Tokyo it feels like we're close to getting back to normal. I haven't been into school since graduation on Tuesday due to hardly any kids being there, but Monday shall be business as usual.

Probably the strangest thing since the main event is everyone leaving. I'm lucky that an English friend of mine, Lucie, has moved in and stayed in Tokyo. I really needed someone around while everything was hitting the fan.

So yeah, I'm fine and feel like a lucky mother fucker!

Let's all meet up in the year 2000

Yo yo what up??

Sad times at the minute, it's graduation for the oldest kids at school on Tuesday. So the past week or so has been full of them practicing for the ceromony. I am going to be a mess of tears on Tuesday, it's like 50 of your best friends leaving you. Woe is me!! Today was the mini ceremony where the other kids give the oldest ones presents, do some performances and everyone sings songs to say thank you and good luck. I really had to try my hardest not to cry when looking at their sweet faces.

Ah but life goes on and life is sweet as a nut. Jubs, breads, dancing, friends. What more could anyone ask for? On the work front I had some dodgy times in the last month. But to cut a long story short, my school just wanted to get rid of someone else. So all is good and I'm wanted in the longterm, so just a matter of getting that visa stamp on my passport and I shall lve here forever more. It's been nice the past few weeks having a fellow gaijin working with me. A guy who was there before me and is kinda on study leave to get his degree. Anyway, nice to have someone to talk to apart from the kids, most of the other teachers barely say a word to me throughout the week.

Two sweet pictures from school....

Oh you know I almost had a date.... an assistant teacher at the sister school who has always been a bit flirty with me but would never do anything with me because of my lack of Japanese. Well after a work jub pissup, I was walking to the train station with her and we were just chatting in Japanese all the way and she was like 'oh wow your Japanese has improved loads'. So I asked her if she wanted to do something the next week and she was all for it. But when I actually texted her she pretty much said she wasn't into me. Ah so close to date number one in life. I'm sure someone else will come along in the next ten years....

I'll be filming for the next Starfire dvd on the 20th, how exciting!! I feel like I've finally earned my place with the top para dancers in Tokyo. What with the Avex event, this dvd, and just feeling like I'm part of the Starfire team. I'm not exactly part of the team, but close enough. And in most clubs when 3rd boom onwards is played so many people follow me for the dance. Happy days!!

Spring is in the air and hanami is coming, and you know what that means?? Piss up in the park!! Or make that many piss ups in many parks over a couple of weeks.... expect me to be hospitalized. Good I-D-E-A!!