LOOT

For a country so small, Japan sure does have a lot of stuff. Good thing, too, 'cause I loves me some stuff.

First up: a Hitachi portable record player. The more discerning cinephile might recognize this beauty from Gaspar Noe's 2010 film Enter the Void. This exact model was hanging on the wall in the main characters' apartment.

More anime soundtrack LPs than you can shake a stick at. And I should know, being a world-class stick shaker and all.

My new favorite Japanese artist. Not really. But seriously, he is.

I lost it when I saw this. God bless Hard Off.

And now, the most important question since "What would Jesus do?":

Which is more hilarious?

A grown man who loves toys? No so uncommon in Japan. This place is feeling more like home all the time.

Bottom left: my only personal casualty in the Great Tohoku Earthquake of March 11, 2011.

I guess countries with complete firearm control can get away with semi-realistic gun toys. This little guy cost me less than one U.S. dollar at Daiso.

A slowly growing Ghibli collection.

One of the few Murakami novels not published outside of Japan.

Another Hard Off purchase. about four bucks for the hardware and a dollar for the software.

And to round out this post: the obligatory satisfied-customer-product-action-shot.

That's all for now!

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Quick updates, in no particular order.

Moved out of our apartment and into a Japanese-style house (totes awesome).

Survived the largest magnitude earthquake in Japanese history.

Got super-fast fiberoptic internet and television installed at our place.

Got a three-week-old kitten to foster and raise.

Visited the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and turned into a 10-year-old Japanese child for a few hours.

Watched our nameless kitten claimed by a viral upper respiratory infection less than three days after we picked her up.

Tried the Nintendo 3DS at my local WonderGoo. Decided that the "cool" outweighs the "gimmick," although both are present.

Procured a LaserDisc player and a small collection of eclectic titles, including Purple Rain, Akira, Beetlejuice, and... Liquid Sky?

Have started collecting and "reading" Champion comics (only the monthly edition - it always comes with a sweet bonus gift).

Visited Nikko and stayed in an onsen hotel (not exactly a proper ryokan). Checked out the beautiful Nikko Tosho-gu shrine in a picturesque snow-covered setting.

Took the level 10 Kanji Kentei, the Japanese character proficiency test. Failed it. I cannot yet read Japanese as well as a first-grader. Trying again in the summer.

Studying Japanese like my life depended on it.

Realizing that I've learned more in my eight months here than I ever did in my six and a half years in university. Life: 1, Higher Education: 0.

Kicking myself for not updating this blog.