11:06 PM

色々

OK, I officially have a new favorite band--and they're not even Japanese! (lol)
so on Tuesday for the podcast recording (www.metropolis.co.jp/podcast for those of you not in the know about where you can hear me every week) we had a special live performance. The band Vinyl Soul, out of L.A., came to our office to perform some songs! You can hear it at the very end of the Wed, Mar 25 podcast. Anyway, they gave us copies of their CD as well, which I have been listening to nonstop. I'm totally dragging some friends with me to go see their concert on Sunday, they're playing at this little cafe over in Okubo, near Shinjuku.

Oh, and I got taken out on a sort of 接待 thing on Tuesday. The good folks over at Iichiko shochu company are trying to market their product to Americans, so they wanted to take some (American) Metropolis staffers out for a  tasting, etc. It was ridiculous. they came to the office for 挨拶 with the sales people and then they took me, Sarah N and Yui (she was like, "I'm a 中途半端なアメリカ人" lol) out to this izakaya in Gaienmae and fed us sashimi, and kara-age and nabe, and then had us drink a bunch of shochu and tell them what we thought of it.
i know, "work is rough," right? lol.

oooh, and last weekend I went to see the Dustz concert. SO much fun! lol. I'm a huge fan of theirs--mostly cause the lead singer is f&%#ing hot, but also because I like the music. and they are definitely 10 times better live, the songs come across much more rock than they do on the CD. Oh, and even better, this concert was officially their last con as an indies band--cause they will be releasing their major debut with Sony/Epic Records in May! Yay! They've (obviously, since they got signed to a major label) got a pretty decent fan base, but I felt kind of sorry for them at the concert. Nermal and I were looking around like, "have any of these people ever been to a concert before...?" Nobody was getting into it, nobody was moving, and all these girls had set their purses and shit all over the floor (hello people, that's what the lockers are for!) so that we could have been practically up against the stage if it hadn't been for all the stuff in the way. whatever. Nermie and I totally rocked out, and they definitely saw us. I mean, obvi the whole being gaijin thing makes us stand out a bit, but it was also cause we were practically the only ones who were really into it. Nermie's decided she has a crush on the drummer, lol (--this was her first Dustz concert, she wasn't really a fan before this, but I dragged her to it so I'd have someone to go with). We're going to join the fan club so we can get better tickets to the concert in June.

Oh, and in other news, I got a pack of cigarettes in the mail the other day. Well, not me, they were addressed to the person who lived in my apt before me, but still (only in Japan). It says "enjoy a special coffee break moment with Cabin"--which, caffeine addict that I am, kind of makes me want to try them...  (breathe, daddy--- I'm only kidding)

PV this week isn't exactly a PV, it's a youtube vid I found of Vinyl Soul performing their song "Could This Be Heaven," which is one of the ones they sang for us the other day.
Enjoy!

12:02 AM

本日はこういう事をしてきました

about to go to sleep, but I just had to take a moment to say the following:

whee!  \(^_^)/

Today I got to my first one-on-one professional interview! Well, I did one with the indie film director a couple weeks ago, but we just met at a cafe and it was more like chatting than an interview (which actually I liked better, but)
this time was totally Notting Hill--went to a fancy Tokyo hotel, with K as cameraman (thank god for not having to take photos myself this time--much less nerve-wracking!). and had to call the PR person to have him come down to the lobby and take us up to the suite where the conferences were going on.
we were originally sposed to do the interview at 3pm, but then they called and said that things were going ahead of schedule, and could we possibly come at 2:40 instead, so we came early--and then 結局 ended up having to wait until after 3 anyway.  lol. but that's the way these things go, I guess.
anyway, who was I interviewing, you ask? no one you've ever heard of, but an actress named Mizuno Miki. Who I am actually a big fan of, cause she was in a drama I really like called Hatsu Taiken, which Molly turned me on to back at IUC cause the whole thing takes place in and around Yokohama where we all lived last year. Plus it's a really cute show.
Anyway, I was interviewing her for her new drama that's starting in april, called 空飛ぶタイヤ, about a recall coverup incident with a big auto manufacturer. based on reality, apparently.
it was lots of fun and incredibly nervewracking, cause I'm talking to someone I've actually heard of, and there's like 10 stylists and managers and people just standing there, watching me and listening to the whole thing, and in the midst of it all I'm trying to not sound too stupid with my Japanese, and think of interesting things to say.
I was combination giddy/frustrated when it was over. Kind of had an elated/pained "GAAHHHHHH!!" moment when it was over.  (>_<)

but still, go me!  Y(^.^)d

and now I go to bed.
and I am holding off changing the PV because while I have received my new twins cd, the PV has yet to be posted online anywhere, that I've found. so you're "stuck with the vampires" a little bit longer, mom.

12:17 AM

多摩川

So, just thought I'd do a quick post introducing some more of my area, Tamagawa. Of course, Tamagawa is, literally, "Tama-kawa," i.e. Tama River.
We had a random warm weekend a couple weeks ago, and I spent the day out on the grass by the water, reading. It was pretty fantastic.
There's some steps, sort of, that people sit out on.


Across the river is Kanagawa (not Tokyo proper).

It's pretty in the setting sun. ^^













This is the entrance to a little temple nearby.

There's also a park by the station, with some pretty little ponds.


Last but not least, new PV. Since mom was freaked out about the last one, I figure I might as well continue the trend with more of my favorite wtf-inducing band, Acid Black Cherry, with "Jigsaw" ^_^