So a huge hole in my life has been filled! Most people who know me realise that I have a certain,, affinity for flour products. For me, they break down into two main catagories: baked goods and spagettii (noodles). Now Japan has noodles aplenty (most aren`t wheat, but close enough). However, the majority of thier baked goods are well, different. They like to do random stuff, like put sweet bean paste in the middle of them, or make cookies out of rice paste. Now this stuff is good and all, but, well,, ok, I miss cookies and sweet bread and things made out of yeast and flour and eggs and sugar. No longer. I bought first picture on a whim. I figured something that large had to have some kind of bean/rice/something else paste in it, but hey, it was a dollar. We`ll try it. Weeellll, not only was it some of the best, softest dough I`ve ever had in a prepackaged product, but do you see the second picture? Yes, that`s chocolate!! I soon discovered that my find was a variation on a popular sweet bread roll shown in the third picutre (no chocolate inside, as shown, but it really doesn`t need it,, it`s pretty awesome). It`s sweet, yeasty, floury, wonderful bread. Now keep in mind, I know bread. I`ve had the rolls at the vanician inn (with honey/butter goodness, when they were hot out of the oven, yum). Not to toot my own horn, but the cinnammon rolls my mother makes (and I have as well) are pretty amazing. I`ve tasted zucini bread and Easter bread, and can make both. Notwithstanding, I must say that by the time I found a bakery that made them fresh, I`d found some of the best bread I`ve ever eaten, hands down. Soft, almoast doughy inside with a sweet (but not too sweet) crispty outer layer. A labmate just came in and told me it`s called `mellon bread`. I`ve eaten like 7 of these things in the last two days and I did`t even know what they were called. Now, off to the depths of the internet- I must find this recipie*!!



*including, but not limited to, the chocolate variation.

So, two big news points, one, the power cord on Kraigh`s laptop died. power cord on Kraigh`s laptop died. With ｔｈｅ invaluable help of the grad students here, Iwas able to order one from the Japanese Del site (the american one will only ship to America, go figure) . So, for the next week I`m on this spiffy Japanese-formatted computer they have. Don:t get me wrong, it was really nice of them to let me borrow this. It is just that,, well, the computer has subtlties that are a bit irksome. Like most of the commands are written in Katakana. That in and of itself is ok， but the Ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄ also has the entire katakana alphabet, and every time I try to use a contraction time I try to use a contraction (specifically, and apostrophe), the machine does this wierd copy/paste thing, and every now and then, I lock　it into `type only katakana` mode, that I have to figure out how to undo.

Nevertheless， the alternative is no computer, and thus I won`t complain. This is computer, and thus I won`t complain. This is a really nice/new machine, too :)

But enough of that. My older pictures are on the laptop, and so updates on the welcome party and such will have to wait. But what I do have are pictures of where I was this weekend. Some of you will have no idea what I:m talking about. Others will think I:m bonkers for being so exited about it. But those few who truely　understand, the nerds among you, will truely appreciate the opportunity I experienced.

The tokyo game show was last weekend. The largest gathering of console/computer entertainment in existence since E3 got axed.

It was pretty awesome. It would have been a bit more enjoyable　had I spoken Japanese, ｂｕｔ enjoyable nonetheless. And I can also tell Jordan Salis that I was there, and possibly come out ahead in our longstanding fued as to which one of us is the biggest geek. But anyway, things that stood out at the show.
1- Open to the public means the place is rediculous crowded. There were even 15 minute lines to get into the souvineir stores.
1b even with the mass of people, there was nearly enough gamming stuff for everyone. Pure, distilled electronic joy.
2-I must buy Hellgate-london. The game looked amazing, and will probably be cheap to boot.
3- I have a picture with bomberman. Nuff said.
3b- I also have my picture with a playstation 3. And, even if it:s overpriced, that:s still awesome.
4-I ｈａｖｅ now seen firstand this strange phenomenon that is cosplay (where `normal` people dress up like video game characters for fun), These people are hard core,, some of them had color contacts so that thier eyes matched the character they were dressed up as. I recognized many of them(especially the die hard final fantasy 7 ,, I think there were only 3 cloud/sephiroth`s, surprizingly)

5-I have no sense of direction whatsoever, and regardless of how sure you are that you leave the convention center on time, it does you no good if it takes you a half hour to find the place you ｗｅｒｅ meeting up with everyone afterwards. Yes, not only did I take the up with everyone afterwards. Yes, not only did I take the wrong exit out, I:m pretty sure I crossed the river over the wrong bridge as well, and backtracked several times. Sorry Chris/Dane. Many, many thanks to matsamoto for getting us two tickets to the show, and helping us find the way there. I am a bit envious you were able to go friday, but more power to ya- hope you had an awesome time :)

Sorry all, too lazy for pictures

I've developed two modes of speaking: normal, and slowly with large.... spaces ....between.... words.... so.... it ....might.... be ....clear.... to ....some ....one ....that.... speaks ....little.... english (using small words helps too). I used to get a chuckle when Dr. Williams or other americans here would talk to me this way out of habit,, now I chuckle at myself.

This, however, is only surpassed by how funny my broken Japanese stuttering must be to the people here. Oh my word. Not only can I not form a sentence, I can't remember anything- 30 seconds after I ask "kore wa ningun nan to imas ka?", I forget whatever vocabulary word I just asked for (I probably screwed up that question, too. If any japanese speakers happen to be reading, I hearby offer my most sincere apology).

I do however, remember the word for room, shitsu, because it sounds like the dog breed. It's my victory for the day :).

And on that note, japanese vocabulary often combines the sylables 'shi' and 'tsu/tsa', so I'm having to get past the embarrasment of thinking I'm swearing every 5th word I say.

Had my first day of work- my labmates are pretty awesome, and there is absolutely no way I'll ever be able to adequately thank Hiro for his kindness and inexhaustable help (this, I believe, is soon to develop into a list of people that will be anti-small).

That's all for now,, hopefully pics of osaka castle and the lab in when I get non-lazy.

40 hours later

where to start.

first off, I'll have a section with 'the engrish phrase'. This one definitly wins the prize here. It's funny some of the stuff people wear on t-shirts here,, one girl was actually wearing a t-shirt that said 'orgasm' on the back. I wonder if she knew what it meant. There was also this second one, which I will dub the 'we reject political correctness' sign.

Anyway, this kiss pic came from a random electronics store, that was in the same building as a grocery store, and a 100 yen (dollar) store. And on that note, the 100 yen store had some good stuff in it. I've also found pokey, which is a really good flavored-chocolate-on-a-stick candy.

I also asked someone what time it was, and he understood me and showed me his watch! huge triumph.

I wish I could adequatly convey how large this city is. It's ginormously huge. Here are a few pics of the skyline, from various parts of the city I visited. The first pics are from this 300 ft (I think) ferris wheel they have on the roof of one of the department stores. The latter pics are from the umeda sky building (aka, building of awesomeness). You can see the ferris wheel from it- see how much higher it is?

I'm also waking up at 5:00-6:00, and going to bed around 8:00-10:00,, never thought I'd say that. But the mornings here are pleasant, and sunrise is around 5:45, so it's all good. There's a park in the hills/mountains just behind our dorm that I've taken to exploring in the mornings. There's a graveyard behind it,, thier headstones are different, interesting.

We also tried conveyor belt sushi, which was pretty awesome. Had eel sushi, which I found surprisingly good. Today, they're taking us to Osaka castle- hopefully I'll have a new thread up for that tonight :)

jak

In the beginning,,,

well first off, there's the 7 classes of survival Japanese taught by the most excellent professor Sakakibara. Considering he had 7 two and a half hour classes, I'd say he did a great job teaching us (survival-style language ftw!). Unfortunatly, I don't have a pic of him. We went out to eat alot while we were in Columbia (as they couldn't cook from the hotel), so we did alot ofeating out. One of the last nights in Columbia, they took us to some rediculously nice Japanese resteraunt, where we had ton's o good food.

Then I stayed at Tyler and Ali's house. To get up waaay to early in the morning, as the evidence will show. Then it was off to the dallas airport. Which, by the way, has a McDonald's that's more expensive than a McDonald's has rights to be, while maintaining the particular level of quality for which it has become famous. But in any case, my flight left for Osaka, which was noteworthy if only for these pictures I managed to get of Russia! isn't it cool!









Anyway, landed at the airport, and said goodbye to what are most likely the last native english speakers we'll meet for some time. And now, I crash, as I've long since given up on figuring out when I should have gone to bed Columbia time.