J-blog of the Week Ed#3 Tokyo Damage Report

I have tried to explain and share the weirdness of Tokyo`s subcultures to others. In most cases I am either not believed or considered a real shit head for having an interest in such things. Well, as I have discovered, there are many things in Tokyo which fall way off the radar of anything mainstream. I often say that a person can find just about any kind of pleasure in Tokyo if they only turn over enough rocks. This week`s J-blog of the week is evidence that I might just be right.

Tokyo Damage Report is kind of like a personal tour/zine of all things vice and underground in Tokyo. I came across this site several months ago, while looking for something different to read. At first, I was a little taken back by the site`s content. The guy who does all the posts is real keen in this descriptions of the various topics. For a while, I was put off by the site, but over time I now understand the point of view he is coming from. You will not get a pretty glossy image of Tokyo with Tokyo Damage Report. Instead, you will get smacked in the head with all the off-beat and down right kinky side of Tokyo.

There are many very good posts on Tokyo Damage report. It is hard to pick a starting point to start exploring damage report. I guess one place to start off would be the TDR kanji lessons. Now as you might have guessed, these are not your regular kind of kanji lessons. TDR kanji lessons are for those who do not have time to learn the ends and outs of learning kanji. If you are working your ass off or attending college, these lessons are for you.

A big help for those you looking to drive into the Tokyo underground head first, the TDR tour guide is for you. This guide features all the dirty little places in Tokyo. You know, the kind of places that your mother would frown on. I really suggest checking out the Kabukicho section of the travel guide for a devilish good time.

Some of the choice posts include Akihabara-culture techno rave party, Cherry Blossoms at the Graveyard, Uyoku raising hell with the police, A La Mode Night, as well as, Gothic Bar Heaven. These are just a sample of the crazy and off beat stuff found at Tokyo Damage Report.

Be sure to also check out Hello Damage which is an earlier version of TDR. It features a lot of other sites worth checking out for sure.

So, if you want to go total Gonzo in Tokyo then TDR is a site you must study up on. It may not be for everyone but it is noteworthy and reports on a part of Tokyo that is over looked way too often.

In one of those moods recently...

Do you ever feel the need to do something totally against your nature? You know, take a trip outside of your `normal` self just to see what would happen. Everyday I am the same rotten bastard, trying to beat out all the other rotten bastards, for a pocket full of money and some cheap thrills. After running the rat race for a while, it is hard to tell the difference between good and evil. At times, it seems as if most people remain in the gray area between light and dark.

As most people go though their life blind to anything past the tip of their noise, I cannot get rid of this itch in the back of my head. I find myself pondering the same question day in and day out; `What the hell is wrong with everyone?` As I go to work everyday, I fall into the same endless sea of working stiffs that blankets the city in conformity. Business suits and grim expressions line the streets, trains, and just about every other spot fit for humans. People on the streets rarely look at each other, when they do it is usually only to say `excuse me` or to make some unsavory offer. The trains can be even worse at times. It seems as if almost everyone is out for themselves. While, I am not saying that looking out for number one is bad, I see all too often people take the `me against the world attitude` a bit too far in Tokyo.

There are times when I just want to shake some life into people. I want to force feed them a good dose of what is happening around them. How does a person go though life totally self absorbed and blind to all the joys human society has to offer? I have a hard time understanding the thinking of a lot of people living in Tokyo. I have met so many people who could not see past the tip of their noise. In their mind, they are always right and everyone else is wrong. Drinking with these types is an exercise in tolerance at the least.

Anyway, the feeling to journey outside of my normal way of doing things has been nagging at me as of late. I think I just need to break out of the rat race for a little bit. I am going at full steam right now. I guess I am feeling a little overworked and stressed out. I can keep this pace for a while longer, but I am going to have to plan some down time in the near future. I am starting to feel as of I am living too far in the gray area of life. I am not comfortable being apart of the masses of white collar workers slaving away day after day. I see the dangers of working all the time. I fear that I might lose myself in my work. So, I have decided to plan a light schedule in the next few weeks. It looks to be around the middle of February. I know that I will go a little crazy during the extra free time I have planned for myself. Yet, I need to go crazy sometimes.

As this blog post, with very little direction or purpose, comes to a close I will keep my head up high as the rat race beats down on me. I got something to look forward to so that will motivate me to keep trucking. I still love Tokyo and look forward to waking up everyday in the greatest city in the world.

I am a Joke

Ha Ha! I am a joke. Yes, it is true I am a big joke. There is nothing so good about me. There is very little reason to even care about me. It is a big waste of time to even speak my name. My blog is one of the worst on the internet. I cannot spell worth shit. Even worst is that I live a very bad life which would sicken most other humans. Yes, I am a joke.

I am not afraid for others to know what a big joke I am. What do I have to lose? I have not done so many great things in life. For the majority of my life I have been nothing more than a slight pest to society. Nobody really wanted me around in the first place. Yet, because I have nothing better to do, I have hung around and managed to somehow survive. I really should be dead or in prison by now. By some strange twist of luck I have not gotten myself killed or thrown in prison.

Enough decent people somehow floated into my life and dragged me to the point I am now. It seems I have been the asshole that everyone loves. I have pissed off every person who has cared about so much that they are beyond forgiving me. Instead, they have chosen to accept me as the dirty rat who won`t go away. They love me because they have no other choice other than to kill me.

So now there is nothing left to laugh or mock. The secret is out about me. Off color remarks or inside jokes are no longer needed when referring to me. I have called myself a joke in front of the entire world. This is most likely the funniest thing I have ever done in my life. Unlike in the past, this time the joke really is on me. I am the butt of my own twisted humor. At least others will join and laugh as hard as I am. I am a joke. Please, go ahead and laugh.