I’m having a hard time keeping the Koda Kumi video because Avex Entertainment have their copyright goons out patrolling every edge of YouTube and the internet. Fuck those big media corporate losers who will keep me away from my hot Japanese popsingers (unless I part with my hard-earned yen like some computer illiterate chump).

The Japanese seem far more clever and serious about antipiracy than I’ve seen in the US. And I think there are actually a fair amount of Japanese people who do consider it morally wrong. In any case, you can glean a bit of the attitude from these pirated antipiracy PSAs.

I love that this PSA is clearly off of a video recorder that someone snuck into the theater.
And on that subject, here is our next excellent example…

Oh the horror.

This music video is ridiculously hot. It’s pretty popular amongst the young Japanese ladies for karaoke. (more…)

Today was Parents’ Day at one of my elementary schools. The parents were invited to come in and watch classes. The teachers were very nervous. Lady B, the teacher who speaks the most fluent English sat down and had a meeting with me last week. We crafted the lesson plan down to the minute. She was so anxious about me screwing up that I actually started to hyperventilate at the idea. The parents must be impressed! (more…)

Because I’m really mature.

I figure if the junior high students can collapse on each other laughing every time I mention the numbers 6, 16, or 60 then I’m allowed this bit of linguistic perversion.
On the other hand, maybe I need to remind myself that I’m 10 years older than my students.

I was learning some kanji today and came across the kanji for mouth.

口

It’s a simple enough kanji. I should be able to look up the stroke order and memorize it pretty quickly. But I realized I didn’t know the word for “mouth,’ so I looked that up.

くち = ku chi

KU CHI? Really?! Coochie? The word for mouth is coochie?!

Now I’m going to that anime style ROTFLMAO everytime someone wants to talk about their mouth.

I hope I don’t get a toothache cause then they’ll send me to the dentist and he’ll be like “Open your mouth.” And I’ll be like “Only for you, sexy dentist man.”

くち、meet coochie.

I really need to get laid.

The ichinensei were given worksheets to go around interviewing classmates about likes and dislikes. They had to ask, “Do you like… art, judo, computer*, baseball, cooking, juice, English, basketball, music?”

First of all, the worksheet was off to a great start. It was titled “I don’t like English.” The interview example given was:
A: I like English. Do you like English?
B: No, I don’t. I don’t like English. (more…)

It’s over two months into the Japanese school year. The ichinensei are still having trouble differentiating “Are you?” vs. “Is it?” and “I am.” vs “It is.”

When I ask, “Is this a pen?” They are more likely than not to respond, “Yes, I am.” (more…)

About a month ago, I was biking back from Japanese class with a couple who also lived in Maebashi. They told me that I was going to get hit by a car. It’s inevitable. I’d seen an accident and a near accident already. A man had gotten knocked off his motorbike by a truck just before I passed by in my car. The very rear of a woman’s bike had gotten clipped as I walked to the store at another time. “Everyone we know, except me, has gotten hit,” the man said. “I got hit but it wasn’t bad. I managed to jump off my bike before the car got me,” the woman told me. As they eyed my expensive, shiny, new mountain bike, they told me how their friend had lost her teeth in an accident, another was hospitalized and his bike destroyed. It might not be worth it to have a nice bike. When the car gets you, it will get your bike too. (more…)

One of my elementary schools is actually following the Maebashi Board of Education’s new curriculum. The fifth and sixth graders have a new unit every week and have to present a finished project at the end. The current theme is “Let’s make a story book.” Last month’s theme was “Let’s be reporters and make a newspaper.” They wrote simple questions in Japanese which their teacher translated for me and I answered in English. Then their teacher translated my answer. Not a whole lot of English practice for the students. But their newspapers about me were pretty cute. My favorite one was done by a group of fifth graders.

(more…)

I went to the doctor with sleeping problems and she prescribed me Rohypnol.

The ninensei had to write little diaries in a worksheet that I gave them. This is what one of the girls came up with.

Thursdey , June 31, 2007

I’m go to McDonald.
I meke humderger.
I had good time.
I’m go to My house.
I watched TV for two houre
I didn’t study.

And who could tell? This is the sort of girl who draws a flower next to her name. I think the day she is referring to was the Japanese equivalent to Career Day. The ninensei went out and helped at local businesses they were interested in working at.