A Brutal Gash on the Head, 4 months of Japan part 1
Life in Japa For the last two weeks I have had insomnia. For the last month I been spending all my money on alcohol, mostly of the strong chu-hi variety. And for the last four months I have been looking for something in this foreign world known as Japan that keeps ojavascript:void(0);
Insert Imagen evading me.
Back in the states all I wanted to do was get away from Antioch. That place was killing me at such a young age. The only moments I felt alive in that town were when I was acting on stage. In those brief moments when I was in theater I could pick up a new life at will. I had lived more lives and had more travels on the stage then most of my would have had in their life time. Its a shame I never kept up with that. Without thought I gave up one of the loves of my life up like that. I guess age killed the grandiose plan I had of making acting my life.
However I never abandoned my dreams of seeing the world. I made up my mind that I needed to see as much as I can after hearing Chelsea's adventures abroad. She was the first friend I had that had left the country. There was never a time when I talked to her while she was away that she wasn't doing something amazing. All I wanted was these experiences in my life.
The creed that I have developed over time is only through experience can I become a fulfilled human being. I Guess thats why I started calling my self a hedonist. All I was focused on was my pleasure. I indulged in excessive amounts of sex, drugs, and alcohol trying to feel something. Being jaded was never so easy. I felt out of place at my school. I had many friends but I developed a reputation of an lone wolf of sorts. I always needed to wander away from the group no matter where I was. There was just a sense of wander lust that was not ever being fulfilled. I felt more at ease talking to the deranged bums in the city then the pack at school.
So when the time rolled around for applying to leave this country I wanted to go where no one from my school was going. Tokyo seemed like that perfect choice. Only three people from junior year would be going to Japan and I didn't ever meet the other two before. The lack of people in the program is what made it so appealing. All my friends were headed off to Europe to do the typical college trip. I wanted my own stories, I wanted my own life.
And there it was! For the first time in a long time that sense of wonder was rekindled in my heart.
Japan was the most interesting place I have ever seen. There was not a doubt in my mind that it would be here in the land of vending machines and no trash cans that I could find something that would quench my wanderlust.
ON THE PEOPLE I HAVE MET
Fifty people from all across America were admitted into my Japanese program. And of those fifty people I got close two only two of them...somewhat. Just because you share the identity of a foreigner does not mean that you share anything else. It was somewhat painful trying to talk to these kids in my program. They seemed to not have lived at all. Just vacant faces and personalities going through the motions. I could break them down into two main groups. The kids who obsessed about Japanese langauge so they could watch anime without reading subtitles. Or the kids who spent thousands of dollars shopping every weekend. There was little in between the abroad program.
Not to say I disliked any of them per se. Hell I even had my share of good times with them. But alcohol has the magic property of taking neven the most insipid of conversations and changing them into something that you wont remember. It leaves a lot more up the the imagination but hey I like my imagination.
Phil Butts is one of the guys that I considered my friend in the IES program . The first time I saw this asshole he looked like a guy whose idea of a good time would be a pack of natty ice and football.
We didn't talk until about a month and a half into the program where we had to met up with the group for a round of karaoke and drinks. Drinks is the key word here. Drinks make the most distant men open up to each other. We talked about politics, the army, and women. He is going to be a Captain of a helicopter squad for the marines when he gets out of college. We talked about our animal instincts. All he wants to do is fight and I could empathize with that base animal instinct. I found out later that his father was a marine. He died when phil was still in high school but on his death bed phil made a promise to him to follow down the same path he did. His death is what made phil who is. We both had a strong desire to live the life we are given. He was my debauchery's double. I don't think I will ever see him again though. I am pretty sure he wants to die in a war. I am okay with that though.
Then there are the Japanese Kids. For the most part I like all the Japanese I met. Although Its hard seeing as that not many of them speak english. I have found a few kids though who are just a blast to be around. The girl sitting on my legs is Shiho. She was one of the kids who greeted me at the airport when I arrived in Japan. I got off the plane listening to my IPOD and she came up to me said hello and then took my ipod turned it to justice's DANCE and started having her own dance party in the middle of the airport. Of course we became good friends after that. She is just one of those people you see and just always make you laugh because how ridiculous their personalty is.
CLUBS AND BARS
That is a photo on one of my new favorite clubs in Japan. Japan is full of hidden gems like this place. Most of the best clubs don't even have a sign out side there building and they are usually hidden in basements or back allies. It took me so long to find these places.
When I went out in the beginning of the year it was always with the kids who orgasmed off of main stream hip hop. I was dragged to places where the music was overbearing, the drinks were watered down to the point of constant sobriety and the girls were of the garyu breed.
Needless to say these clubs were not to my taste. But I found that my old habits pay off here. Wandering from the pack not only gives me a thrill but salvation. One night when everyone wanted to go to an area called Roppongi or what I like to call the eurotrash breeding grounds they brought me to a club called gas panic. This is a popular club amongst the Japanese youth as it is free to get into so the common theme of the night is old salary men trying to grab the snatches of young Japaneses girls.
Withing 10 minutes I left the establishment and started to wander the streets. The convenient stores are great here because they carry a variety of cheap sake that suit my needs just fine.
With sake on hand I was ready to brave the streets once again. This time I happened to see a group of chic japanese men in women oozing jubilation from their pores. I decided I should follow them in hopes of seeing were locals went for a good time.
They lead me down roads with pimps and hustlers harassed anyone who looked them in the eye. The roads smelled of piss and it reminded me of home. After about a ten minute walk the group entered a building without any signs in front and took the elevator that was at the entrance to the fifth floor. Biding my time I went to buy some more sake before venturing up to see laid inside this nameless entity.
Finally I worked up the courage to make my way up to the 5th floor.
As soon as the doors open I was greeted by a pudgy little man who wore white bootie shorts, a blue yukatta,that adorned a giant kanji on it and uh oh yeah
his head was on fire.
I am not really sure why or how his head was on fire because I didn't even get to say two words before being dragged in the club by him. He took me to a dance floor where five lovely women all danced a completely choreographed dance in the center of the floor. However in the middle of the women there was Spider man hopping up and down without and rhythm or reason in him.
on the out skirts of the dance floor were 3 platforms that rose high above the girls and spider man. On the two side platforms two groups of four men were positioned on each. Each of these men only wore a loin cloth and shouted back and forth at each other.
The man whose head was on fire pushed me into the center of the floor right next to spider man and then waddled over to the middle platform upon which he climbed up and produced a mega phone in his hands. The crowd of people went silent and as he composed himself and said are you ready now?
3 2 1 GO GO GO GO GO
the women then turned and encircled me and spider man because at the moment spider man had also produced a microphone out of no where . All the girls started to sing into the microphone and the men in the loin clothes continued to shout at each other
Utterly bewildered I failed my body around like spider man hoping to blend into a crowd that was completely unbendable.
While all this happened a Japanese couple sitting on a red leather sofa in the corner kept laughing at me and pointing at me. They wore crisp clean white suit and dress and had sunglasses on that were two times to big for there head.
It really felt for a moment that I was in a david lynch movie.
One the song ended the women turned to me and started pulling at my arm whispering " Come to my housu prizu" Having a strong aversion to women who cant say their L's I tried to politely declined the offer. However this caused the the man whose head was on fire to become upset at me and told spider man to kick me out, citing members only.
Later that night I managed to convince a bounce that I was Russel brand and managed to get vip treatment at a gentleman's club
heh
About three weeks ago I came down with a pretty nasty cold. I was out of commission for a week and a half. However when I was on the verge of getting fully recovered I decided I should go out to trump house which is in the previous picture to see this band
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=94284790
Trippple nippples. I went out by myself that night because everyone else was busy or just not in Japan any more but the tedium was getting to me. Not really thinking much about my cold I forgot I had taken some medicine before I went out. 6 Drinks Later I blacked out and came too around 4 am in a Police station with blood all over my hands and face and six concerned policemen questioning me in Japanese. I lacking any recollection of the nights events or ability to speak Japanese, the policemen guided me to the train station and put me on the train going the opposite direction of my home. I never gotten that many looks on the train before, people didn't even sit next to me probably because of all the blood still all over me. I didn't realize until 3 pm that day But I had a gash on my forehead maybe 3 -4 inches across.
Two weeks later I was out on the club scene again and I happened to run in one of the girls from tripple nipples. She told me I was dancing all over the place and crashed my head into the clubs sound system which got me 86ed extremely fast.Of course she encouraged me to go see there show again and told me that I am a fantastic and fun dancer.
go me.
ugh break time from this long long post
Insert Imagen evading me.
Back in the states all I wanted to do was get away from Antioch. That place was killing me at such a young age. The only moments I felt alive in that town were when I was acting on stage. In those brief moments when I was in theater I could pick up a new life at will. I had lived more lives and had more travels on the stage then most of my would have had in their life time. Its a shame I never kept up with that. Without thought I gave up one of the loves of my life up like that. I guess age killed the grandiose plan I had of making acting my life.
However I never abandoned my dreams of seeing the world. I made up my mind that I needed to see as much as I can after hearing Chelsea's adventures abroad. She was the first friend I had that had left the country. There was never a time when I talked to her while she was away that she wasn't doing something amazing. All I wanted was these experiences in my life.
The creed that I have developed over time is only through experience can I become a fulfilled human being. I Guess thats why I started calling my self a hedonist. All I was focused on was my pleasure. I indulged in excessive amounts of sex, drugs, and alcohol trying to feel something. Being jaded was never so easy. I felt out of place at my school. I had many friends but I developed a reputation of an lone wolf of sorts. I always needed to wander away from the group no matter where I was. There was just a sense of wander lust that was not ever being fulfilled. I felt more at ease talking to the deranged bums in the city then the pack at school.
So when the time rolled around for applying to leave this country I wanted to go where no one from my school was going. Tokyo seemed like that perfect choice. Only three people from junior year would be going to Japan and I didn't ever meet the other two before. The lack of people in the program is what made it so appealing. All my friends were headed off to Europe to do the typical college trip. I wanted my own stories, I wanted my own life.
And there it was! For the first time in a long time that sense of wonder was rekindled in my heart.
Japan was the most interesting place I have ever seen. There was not a doubt in my mind that it would be here in the land of vending machines and no trash cans that I could find something that would quench my wanderlust.
ON THE PEOPLE I HAVE MET
Fifty people from all across America were admitted into my Japanese program. And of those fifty people I got close two only two of them...somewhat. Just because you share the identity of a foreigner does not mean that you share anything else. It was somewhat painful trying to talk to these kids in my program. They seemed to not have lived at all. Just vacant faces and personalities going through the motions. I could break them down into two main groups. The kids who obsessed about Japanese langauge so they could watch anime without reading subtitles. Or the kids who spent thousands of dollars shopping every weekend. There was little in between the abroad program.
Not to say I disliked any of them per se. Hell I even had my share of good times with them. But alcohol has the magic property of taking neven the most insipid of conversations and changing them into something that you wont remember. It leaves a lot more up the the imagination but hey I like my imagination.
Phil Butts is one of the guys that I considered my friend in the IES program . The first time I saw this asshole he looked like a guy whose idea of a good time would be a pack of natty ice and football.
We didn't talk until about a month and a half into the program where we had to met up with the group for a round of karaoke and drinks. Drinks is the key word here. Drinks make the most distant men open up to each other. We talked about politics, the army, and women. He is going to be a Captain of a helicopter squad for the marines when he gets out of college. We talked about our animal instincts. All he wants to do is fight and I could empathize with that base animal instinct. I found out later that his father was a marine. He died when phil was still in high school but on his death bed phil made a promise to him to follow down the same path he did. His death is what made phil who is. We both had a strong desire to live the life we are given. He was my debauchery's double. I don't think I will ever see him again though. I am pretty sure he wants to die in a war. I am okay with that though.
Then there are the Japanese Kids. For the most part I like all the Japanese I met. Although Its hard seeing as that not many of them speak english. I have found a few kids though who are just a blast to be around. The girl sitting on my legs is Shiho. She was one of the kids who greeted me at the airport when I arrived in Japan. I got off the plane listening to my IPOD and she came up to me said hello and then took my ipod turned it to justice's DANCE and started having her own dance party in the middle of the airport. Of course we became good friends after that. She is just one of those people you see and just always make you laugh because how ridiculous their personalty is.
CLUBS AND BARS
That is a photo on one of my new favorite clubs in Japan. Japan is full of hidden gems like this place. Most of the best clubs don't even have a sign out side there building and they are usually hidden in basements or back allies. It took me so long to find these places.
When I went out in the beginning of the year it was always with the kids who orgasmed off of main stream hip hop. I was dragged to places where the music was overbearing, the drinks were watered down to the point of constant sobriety and the girls were of the garyu breed.
Needless to say these clubs were not to my taste. But I found that my old habits pay off here. Wandering from the pack not only gives me a thrill but salvation. One night when everyone wanted to go to an area called Roppongi or what I like to call the eurotrash breeding grounds they brought me to a club called gas panic. This is a popular club amongst the Japanese youth as it is free to get into so the common theme of the night is old salary men trying to grab the snatches of young Japaneses girls.
Withing 10 minutes I left the establishment and started to wander the streets. The convenient stores are great here because they carry a variety of cheap sake that suit my needs just fine.
With sake on hand I was ready to brave the streets once again. This time I happened to see a group of chic japanese men in women oozing jubilation from their pores. I decided I should follow them in hopes of seeing were locals went for a good time.
They lead me down roads with pimps and hustlers harassed anyone who looked them in the eye. The roads smelled of piss and it reminded me of home. After about a ten minute walk the group entered a building without any signs in front and took the elevator that was at the entrance to the fifth floor. Biding my time I went to buy some more sake before venturing up to see laid inside this nameless entity.
Finally I worked up the courage to make my way up to the 5th floor.
As soon as the doors open I was greeted by a pudgy little man who wore white bootie shorts, a blue yukatta,that adorned a giant kanji on it and uh oh yeah
his head was on fire.
I am not really sure why or how his head was on fire because I didn't even get to say two words before being dragged in the club by him. He took me to a dance floor where five lovely women all danced a completely choreographed dance in the center of the floor. However in the middle of the women there was Spider man hopping up and down without and rhythm or reason in him.
on the out skirts of the dance floor were 3 platforms that rose high above the girls and spider man. On the two side platforms two groups of four men were positioned on each. Each of these men only wore a loin cloth and shouted back and forth at each other.
The man whose head was on fire pushed me into the center of the floor right next to spider man and then waddled over to the middle platform upon which he climbed up and produced a mega phone in his hands. The crowd of people went silent and as he composed himself and said are you ready now?
3 2 1 GO GO GO GO GO
the women then turned and encircled me and spider man because at the moment spider man had also produced a microphone out of no where . All the girls started to sing into the microphone and the men in the loin clothes continued to shout at each other
Utterly bewildered I failed my body around like spider man hoping to blend into a crowd that was completely unbendable.
While all this happened a Japanese couple sitting on a red leather sofa in the corner kept laughing at me and pointing at me. They wore crisp clean white suit and dress and had sunglasses on that were two times to big for there head.
It really felt for a moment that I was in a david lynch movie.
One the song ended the women turned to me and started pulling at my arm whispering " Come to my housu prizu" Having a strong aversion to women who cant say their L's I tried to politely declined the offer. However this caused the the man whose head was on fire to become upset at me and told spider man to kick me out, citing members only.
Later that night I managed to convince a bounce that I was Russel brand and managed to get vip treatment at a gentleman's club
heh
About three weeks ago I came down with a pretty nasty cold. I was out of commission for a week and a half. However when I was on the verge of getting fully recovered I decided I should go out to trump house which is in the previous picture to see this band
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=94284790
Trippple nippples. I went out by myself that night because everyone else was busy or just not in Japan any more but the tedium was getting to me. Not really thinking much about my cold I forgot I had taken some medicine before I went out. 6 Drinks Later I blacked out and came too around 4 am in a Police station with blood all over my hands and face and six concerned policemen questioning me in Japanese. I lacking any recollection of the nights events or ability to speak Japanese, the policemen guided me to the train station and put me on the train going the opposite direction of my home. I never gotten that many looks on the train before, people didn't even sit next to me probably because of all the blood still all over me. I didn't realize until 3 pm that day But I had a gash on my forehead maybe 3 -4 inches across.
Two weeks later I was out on the club scene again and I happened to run in one of the girls from tripple nipples. She told me I was dancing all over the place and crashed my head into the clubs sound system which got me 86ed extremely fast.Of course she encouraged me to go see there show again and told me that I am a fantastic and fun dancer.
go me.
ugh break time from this long long post