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.

All Work and No Play...

Day in and day out I work. Sometimes it feels as if I am always working. I have worked for the past nine straight days. Sadly, I had not really noticed that I had been working so much until this morning. As I was putting my tie on, I happened to glance over at my leather jacket hanging from the wall and could not remember the last time I wore it. It was at that moment I realized I had been working my ass off non-stop. For a second, I thought about tossing my tie in the trash, skipping work, and getting drunk all day. Of course, I did not skip work. I finished getting ready and walked out of my apartment with my head held high.

I tend to fall into the ` work like a dog` habit far too easy. In the past, I have worked a whole month without a day off. I just kind of get into a groove. There are times when I cannot fell when I am tried. Usually, I just kind of pass out in the most comfortable spot available; giving short notice to those around me. I can make myself go beyond normal limits, when I focus on something. Most people would worry about experiencing burn-out from working too much. Staying in good health would also be a natural concern for the average person. Well, such worries were never instilled in me.

I grew up with little options than to work and hustle for every penny. I guess living in such a rough place taught me the value of hard work. This back breaking work ethic has proven to be an advantage for me in Japan. In the Japanese culture hard work is expected and treated as normal. It is very rare for me to hear Japanese people complain about working too much. They seem to actually enjoy working their ass off at times. I guess I now find myself effected by Japanese culture. In the past I worked hard simply because I had to in order to survive, where as now, I work hard because I actually enjoy working so much. As of now, I have a steady job I go to five days a week. In the evenings, when I do not get off work late, I usually try to teach at least one independent student; in the mornings sometimes as well when time permits. On my days off I travel around Tokyo either teaching independent students or doing trail lessons. Apart from all of these things, I am always studying on how to be a better teacher when I have the time. I have found that the train is a perfect place to get in some studying time.

So yeah, I am keeping myself busy. I like the Tokyo work ethic. If I wanted to I could everyday with no end, but that would be real stupid. I know that I cannot keep this up forever, so I have planned some down time in a few weeks. In the mean while, I have started to pace out my schedule so I will not be going full steam all the time. I have to have some time to relax during the day or else I will start falling asleep during lessons. Overall, I am having a good time as of late. All this hard work is going to pay off down the road. I just have to be careful about how much I drink!

J-blog of the Week Ed. #2 Gaijin Tonic

OK. So, this week I am a little late getting the J-blog of the week posted-up. Well, I have to admit that I have been busy this week. Working life in Tokyo can be a real bitch sometimes. Yet, the internet waits for no one, so here we go with this week`s j-blog of the week.

With all the hard work I have been putting in as of late, I thought that a website about drinking would be fitting. Japan is known for its love of drinking; as least anyone living in Japan knows this. There are endless amounts of bars and such to get you good and plastered. Well, one English speaking J-blog has taken up the task of exploring the joys of drinking in Japan. Gaijin Tonic is your one stop site for all thing drinking in the land of the raising sun.


This site has been up for several years. It would way too difficult to try and break down all the different sections but there are some post which do showcase Gaijin Tonic nicely.

Japanese drinking games is an on going series on Gaijin Tonic. Every nation has drinking games. Hell, back in the states `Beer Pong` was always a favorite. In Japan they tend to get a little more creative. The Battle Royal Drinking game is a must for those who like to mix ultra violence with getting smashed. Battle Royal is a movie about Jr. High school kids killing each other for sport, while being sponored by the government, to see who is the best. Add a few friends and a crap load of drinks, now you have the battle royal drinking game.

Drinking games is not all that Gaijin Tonic has to offer. If is about drinking and Japan there is a good chance you will find it at Gaijin Tonic. Check out the post on such topics as bizarre bar names, Japanese beer ad girls, Fish Beer, Beer and Bikinis, learn of the joys of bonenkai, Halloween in Japan, as well as planty of other things to delight the drunk inside of you.

What I really like most about this site is the honest look at living daily life in Japan. A lot of people like to hold on to the romantic image of Japan portrayed in the movies. When you actually start to live and work in the land of the raising sun the realty of an overworked and high stress society becomes clear as day. I may not know about the lifestyle of people from all across Japan, but in Tokyo as least, after a hard days work most people just want to get trashed and have some fun. Gaijin Tonic makes the best of the situation by offering up plenty of good stories about getting drunk in Japan as well as a lot of other drinking madness.

So, before having the next drink with a co-worker, friend, or `special` lady/guy check out Gaijin Tonic for lots of ideas for making the night even more fun than usual.

The Japan Experience Is What You Make Of It

I have been living in Japan for just about a year now. I have had many interesting adventures; some positive and some negative. During this time, I have learned many things, not only about myself, but about life in general. I have wrote about my reflections on living in Japan before, but I have never wrote about making the best of living in the land of the raising sun.

I must admit, I have not thought about writing on such a subject before. Main reason being, I feel that I may lack enough experience to really tell people how to make the best of living in Japan. I know that their are people who get a real kick out of telling others what to do. It is their passion in life to tell others `How things are and how everyone should live their lives.` That has never really been my habit.

So, what I can say about the experience of living in Japan is that it really is what you make of it. People come to Japan for many reasons. Some people come to land of the raising sun for vacation, to work, to experience a different culture, to escape the life they were living in their mother nation, as well as many other reasons. I came to Japan for two reasons; I was madly in love with a women and my mother nation is turning into a 1984 style nightmare. I have found that my reasons are unlike a lot of people who venture to Japan. This makes my situation a little different compared to a lot of other people. So, I guess I could offer a unique perspective for this months Japan Matsuri.

Like I mentioned above, I feel that I may lack enough experience to tell other people how to make the best of living in Japan. With that in mind, as well as keeping with this months JP Matsuri topic, this post will be about how I have resolved to make the best of living in Japan.

I consider the pure daily adventure of living in Tokyo, to be how I get the most out of living in Japan. Tokyo offers just about everything I want/need out of a city. As great as many American cities are, none of them can compare to the scope and size of Tokyo. I am starting to think that if I cannot find it in Tokyo, chances are good that it does not exist. I have run across so much weird and devilishly fun things during my time in Tokyo so far. I mean, pick a vice and Tokyo will feed you until you are on the floor naked while throwing your guts up! Some people might say that I am exaggerating just a bit, but I have learned not the doubt Tokyo`s ability to surprise and shock.

From Maid Cafes to Happening Bars, just about any desire can be satisfied. Considering that Tokyo may very be the hardest working city in the world, it comes as no surprise that it is also the one of the most extreme cities in the world as well. When I first started living in Tokyo full time, I was mostly unaware of the depths of Tokyo`s endless skyline. I used to look at Tokyo as a big giant business type of city. Now days, I know that Tokyo offers more than just business deals and drunk salary men. The whole place seems to have layer after layer of subcultures and personalities. I mean, what other city in the world can I enjoy top quality coffee in the morning, soak in a hot bath spa during the mid day, go for drinking in the evening with almost every type of drink on the menu, and cap off the evening with a call girl and a love hotel? I am not saying that I have experienced such a day, but from what I can see, such a day could easily happen.

So, Yeah. The Japan experience is what you make of it. I have resolved to dive head first into the pure adventure aspect of living in Tokyo. Other people might want to take a totally different approach to living in Japan. No matter how you choice to make the best of living in Japan, make sure to enjoy yourself.

J-Blog of the Week Ed# 1 Loco in Yokohama

KO. So, I have been thinking of a way to expose people to English J-blogs that they might other wise ever see. There are a lot of good blogs out there about Japan. Some English J-blogs are very popular, while others do not get so much attention. While, the popular ones deserve the attention, there are plenty of others which deserve a few more page views as well. I have decided to start the first weekly feature here at The Ghost Letters. The J-blog of the week is now here for your enjoyment. Every week I will feature an English J-blog which deserves to be seen by more people. I hope to do this every Tuesday or Wednesday.

This week`s English J-blog of the week is Loco in Yokohama

I have been checking out Loco in Yokohama for a while now. Pretty interesting blog I must say. I first found this site though japansoc.com. I noticed that the post he had submitted were not getting much attention. This usually means that a rare gem is being overlooked. So, I started checked it out from time to time. It seems that this blog has only been up and running since October 2008 but it is full of great stuff to read.

There are several sections of this blog well worth checking out.


10 ways not to go Loco in Yokohama is a interesting look at how to have a good time in Japan. A lot of the post in this series hold a lot of truth. You will have a good laugh, as well as agree, with many of the post in this ten part series.

Home Alterations is a great series which I have been wanting to read more of for a while now. It is kind of like home sickness but with a twist. From what I have checked out so far, he talks about NYC vs. Japan. It is an interesting series and I suggest reading every post.

There is also the Acts of Retaliation section and the Real Gods Require Blood section; which is an on-going web novel of good quality.

Overall, Loco in Yokohama is a great English J-web blog! If you have never checked it out before now would be a good time.