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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Winter Holidays = Stay Inside and Sleep All Day..

Yes, my phone is disconnected.
Yes, it's on purpose.
Yes, that's the way I want and like it.

I don't want anyone calling to wish me "Merry Christmas".
I don't want anyone calling and inviting me to any parties.
I don't want anyone calling and asking me to come outside.
I just want to stay inside with the shutters pulled and sleep - all day long

Why?
Because I'm exhausted.

This winter vacation is about me. Me, me, me...


I've been passing the time watching movies, Japanese TV, eating steak and avoiding Jehovah's witnesses..

Yeah, you read right: Jehovah's witnesses
Now, if someone had told me, before I came to the land of the rising sun, that I'd be dealing with Jehovah's witnesses on a regular basis I would have been skeptical.
I remember the first time one came to door...I suppose I should be thankful - I get to practise my Japanese. He had this book all wrapped up and kept going on and on about how important it was. I was thinking "Did I order a book? I don't remember ordering a book?". He opened the book and it was in Japanese and I thought "..maybe I ordered this book..."
..but as soon as I saw the smiling white faces of the blond hair, blue-eyed people on the cover I figured it out...


I was so pissed that this guy had me standing there talking to him when I could have been sitting on my ass doing nothing that I told him to leave and never come back.
I didn't say it in Japanese either. I think he understood.

Dear Japanese Jehovah's witnesses:
If you going to disturb people early in the morning, in order to tell them that every logical belief they have is incorrect, please make sure of 2 things:

  1. Said person is not a poor gaijin working their asses off just to get by in your country, and sleeping in for the first time in months and

  2. Speak their language


The exchange will only go one way otherwise:

J-Jehovah (in Japanese) "You need this important book!"
Me:(In Japanese) "I can't read that book."
J-Jehovah (in Japanese) "That's ok. You can still buy it.."
Me: (in English) "Leave and never come back to this apartment."


So, as I was saying, I've been watching a lot of Japanese TV.

Comedy in Japan
This was supposed to be a separate post, but I may as well put it here:
Firstly, Japanese comedy is different to western comedy - Japanese comedians focus more on slapstick, it seems.

case in point: Edo Harumi

I know what you're thinking: "..but so much must be lost in the translation..!"
Not really..she's basically reciting all the things that she thinks are good ("Gu-!") to the song "My Sharona", and ends with her (not so) patented double thumbs up.
"..but surely she must have some other comedic skill to be on Japanese TV..?" you think to yourself...





Welcome to Japanese stand-up comedy.
If she's lucky she'll end up hosting Japanese TV shows or something.

Dear Japanese comedians: your schtik is funny..but only the first 500 times.
Mix it up a bit.

I shouldn't complain; at least they're making me go outside..

3 Comments:

Blogger Iconoclast said...

This is the singularly unfunny thing I've ever seen. I don't know how high I'd have to be for this to even get a regular laugh out of me.

Are there at least interesting and introspective (live action) shows on TV?

11:10 pm  
Blogger Tokyo T said...

Please don't get me started on Japanese TV:

50% talk-shows (mostly celebrities or "talent" as they are called here) discussing things, walking around, playing game shows or eating, usually in front of a studio audience..

20% television drama..

10% news and informative, public access-type programming (language studies, documentaries, travel programs, kids educational programming, etc)..

5% musical programming..

5% sports (and by "sports" I mean judo, kendo, sumo, soccer, baseball, ice-skating)..

5% foreign programming ("24", "ER" re-runs,movies, etc)

5% anime.

But hey, it helps me learn the language.

9:50 pm  
Blogger Iconoclast said...

Well at least all things Japanese aren't whack. Check this exclusive Watchmen trailer out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WNETpX2Jd0

I wish I could understand what they are saying in Japanese.

How is Japanese cinema? Anything you can recommend?

6:07 am  

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