Guff Back in Japan
Posted by Guff on August 3rd, 2009 - 8:52 pm
Greetings all,
So I’m back in Japan again, here to take up my Japanese studies once more. This time I’m staying in Okazaki City actually, with a very nice host family who for some inane reason has decided to not only tolerate my presence but also supply me with delicious foodstuffs. The Sugimoto family have been marvelous hosts and also assisted greatly in answering my endless barrage of questions about Japanese grammar.
Okazaki is quite a peaceful place, which is nice for contemplative reflection whilst sitting outdoors…
…or at least it would be if not for the ceaseless, deafening assault of noise from the hideously massive 蝉 (せみ cicadas) that have installed a veritable cicada Disneyland in the tree outside my bedroom window. At 6 AM sharp every morning they are open for business, and lately business has been booming.
Editor’s Note: The photo above actually has nothing to do with Okazaki other than being somewhere in the same Japanese prefecture, but since Guff is a lazy bum and didn’t send me any pictures to work with, I was forced to wing it. -_-
Also, for reference Okazaki is located in Aichi Prefecture, which is roughly in the middle of the Honshu island, about 2/3s of the way along the train line the goes from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Ok, back to your regularly scheduled Guff…
The city is also categorically lacking in two crucial retail elements: a well supplied bakery and a reputable tobacconist. I’m not sure how the city planners managed to carry out such a gross oversight, but as a result I have been forced to take the train to Nagoya in order to indulge in my various vices. At least it gives me an excuse to take in another city on the weekends, so it’s really not so bad.
I hit up the Mandarake in Nagoya last weekend and was able to procure this (out of print!) marvelous tome of artistic bliss! Also this. And this. Sometimes, things like personal bankruptcy seem like such an easily avoidable calamity, but in terms of artbooks I can see how it could happen quite easily.
In addition, there was a Gundam Event (as in Original Mobile Suit not blasphemous, apocryphal permutations that screw around for an eternity with pathetically emo lead male characters) in Nagoya this weekend that I hit up.
Also, as a bit of free advertisement, the school I’m studying at is a non-profit organization called the Yamasa Institute. If you want to “power level” your Japanese, this is a useful place to do so.
That’s about it really. My graduate thesis has been horribly languishing due to distractions with Japanese school work and the punishing summertime heat, but other than that I really can’t complain at all. Now all I need to do is find a job so I can stay here and never go back.
Guff out.
Guff, my envy right now at your acquisition of the much-coveted Mushishi artbook is palpable. However, it is balanced out by my pity of your bakery-less location. Japanese baked goods really are the best.
Oooh nice to hear from you again
If the landscape you’re surrounded by is even just the slightest bit similar to the one portrayed here, then you’re really blessed, it’s truly an idyllic location.
And ahhhh cicadas coercing you into shedding your languid ways! Don’t give in!
If I was there I wouldn’t do a damn thing lol. Just lay down under a strategically placed tree with a smoke or a drink and then peacefully drift asleep…ahhhhh.
Try to worm your way in to becoming an apprentice in some local sake family brewery lolz. There’s no elegance in most modern day jobs.
At first I thought it was a parody for the Okazaki in clannad. Then I found out that it is a real city name, and I despaired..
Well, best of luck in your natsu holiday there!
Lucky bastard.
Joking aside, I can vouch for the Lain artbook’s excellence. I wouldn’t mind a copy of the Mushishi one either…the pics make it look eye-watering.
I’m currently drawing up a succession of cunning (and so far unworkable) plans to get the better of my credit card company so I can actually, y’know, clear the damn thing and get back out to Japan again. Funny you mention bakeries, because good ol’ wholemeal bread was probably the only thing I missed while I was visiting.
Anyway, best of luck with the job hunting and I look forward to some more pics. ^_^