Home at last. (やっと帰った。)

Ah, nothing better than being home again after a long trip without some of the more basic ammenties.

... Of course, when I say that, I mean air conditioning and soft toilet paper.

Some might say I was spoiled. I say...

No, no, I guess that's really the only word there is for it. Huh.

Anyway, as I am still getting used to solid ground beneath my feet, I'm sorry to say that this will be another of those topic-less posts that is more me rambling than anything else.

Hey, hey, what else do you want when I'm still reeling like the deck is tossing beneath me?

I had a few more ideas for cell-phone e-mails while I was away. Thrilling, I know, but remember. Sea brain. Or, lake brain, really, but it amounts to the same thing in the end.

7) tokugawa no (徳川の, Tokugawa's... Of the Tokugawa...)

This one makes a little bit more sense if you understand the pun behind my nickname. You see, the Tokugawa period, along with being pretty much my favorite period of Japanese history (yes, you can have a favorite period of history, Japanese or otherwise) also goes by another name: the Edo period, so named after the capital at the time, Edo (modern-day Tokyo.) Sometimes, when explaining my nickname to Japanese people, I preface it with 徳川時代のような。。。 (Like the Tokugawa period...)

Which leads into another idea:

8) edo jidai no [you na] (江戸時代の[ような], The Edo period's... Of the Edo period... [Like the Edo period])

 This is actually the more common explanation that falls from my lips when telling people what they should call me. Definitely a less convoluted way to explain things. I used to take offense when people made the jump, and even fought the nickname for quite some time while a freshman in college, but eventually I came to embrace the name in its entirety, partially due to the love for the Tokugawa period I discovered my sophomore year.

It's funny how we change as we get older.

...she said, speaking still from her early twenties.

Mock me if you will, but it seems old from my perspective. Especially considering that fact that, for some reason, I keep thinking that it's still 2008... I'm not sure why. I just had another instance of it this afternoon, when I my mother mentioned 2006 and said that was four years ago, and I was confused...

Although maybe that's just my lake head talking.

In other, possibly more interesting cell-phone related news, Melon and I have pretty much come to the conclusion that AU is the provider to go with. Based on their rate calculator (Japanese only, my English-speaking readers), it seems that they offer, by far, the best deal--admittedly, Docomo is somewhat comparable, but the foreign rates aren't quite as good, nor do I have any sort of experience with them.

Plus, there is always that possibility that AU will let me reactivate my old phone. A slim possibility, but a possibility that I would like to entertain nevertheless.

Because I love my old phone.

And I don't know how I feel about the phones that will be available for cheap come August.... though I am still tempted by the beautiful color possibilities of the SH005, despite its possible lack of outside-display capabilities. (I may have shallow desires when it comes to phones, but I remain picky!)

...somehow, this post seems a bit empty. So I suppose I will fall back to the old stand-by of scrounging through youtube until I find something suitably Japan-related and interesting in my list of favorites.

... is that really what you're supposed to do in a blog? Oh well.



I actually discovered these guys (宇宙戦隊NOIZ, Universe Squadron NOIZ) accidentally one morning upon waking up early to catch a train to Kyotango; I turned the TV on whilst eating my breakfast, and happened upon some sort of strange early morning music show. The lead singer was... speaking about their new single, I believe, dressed in some sort of feather boa, spandex, high-heel combination.

I was intrigued. And they're sort of fun to listen to, not to mention the sheer effort that appears to go into their videos. Perhaps they'll get their own post one day.

... if only because of the confusion caused by this brief glimpse into their world.

Hey, remember, I did say that I wanted to expand your horizons.

But I suppose that a little adorable Kimutaku-goodness is in order, for those of you who don't really appreciate my ventures into the strange and slightly perturbing.

(You have to admit though, it is a catchy tune.)



Did I say it was adorable, or did I say it was adorable?

(The basic jist, for you non-Japanese-speakers, is that Kimutaku's grandfather is worried about how he's getting on, and Kimutaku reassures him by explaining how Secom comes to clean his house, among other things.)

Here, Kimutaku is sporting his new hairstyle, which I can only presume he got for his lead role Tsuki no Koibito (which I have mentioned and will write a post about, someday). He's a serious, cruel sort of guy, and long, auburn curls just don't go with that image.

They go with Mr. Brain.

This is Edo, signing off with her brain still confused about this whole solid ground concept.