Getting ready to launch a new site called TokyoFilter. It’s going to be a Japan-video networking site. I’m hoping to get several registered users who’ll regularly submit Japan-related videos, but I suppose I’ll have to regularly submit content myself, possibly on a daily basis, in order to keep the site fresh and keep people coming back. Right now, the site only supports YouTube videos, but I hope to add support for other video sites in the near future.



Whatdya think? Does the site have merit?

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So, America has elected its first African-American president. That’s something I always heard would never happen growing up. But it has, and that’s pretty fucking cool. I can’t deny that. But, I also can’t deny that I’m not feeling too good about America’s position in the world, for now and in the future. Yeah, Mr. Obama’s election got everybody feeling positive for a little bit, but national economies that were mighty last year are starting to circle the drain and America itself saw staggering job losses last month. Things aren’t looking up and there aren’t too many people who are thinking that things are going to start turning around anytime soon after the inauguration.



I’d like to say something more positive here about how I believe in America and that it will pull through and regain its position at the top of the heap and all that, but I spent most of the last decade watching the country tank and frankly, have spent the better portion of my adult life experiencing just what it feels like to witness my homeland become broken and withered while people of other countries around the world came to hate us more than they ever have.



How did it get so bad? Why did we let it? Was there ever really any way we could’ve stopped it? I guess I don’t think that we could have. Ten years ago, everybody could see that America was losing its edge. China was already angling to gain a foothold in the Middle East by opening up oil fields in countries that were more willing to do business with them than US. I guess the powers that be (your guess about who they are is as good as mine) in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, saw the inevitable truth that America was about to begin a long, steady slide into mediocrity and they decided to have a fire sale, making a lot of people who were already ridiculously wealthy even wealthier.



Does this mean that I feel completely hopeless? Hell no. I’m not worried about myself; I’ve always taken care of Number One. But, as the future unfolds and the shape of the world changes, I can’t help but feel a little sad about what has become of the country where I was born and raised. Where are things headed for America? I know I have no ideas. But, what I do know is that way too many of its citizens are playing out the helpless victim role. It has become sickening.



Recently, someone asked a group of us living here in Japan, What has living in Japan taught you about yourself? Well, I’m not 100% sure about the answer to that question yet. But, I do know what it has taught me about my own country. Mostly because I see the same thing happening here. I used to think it was the collective spirit of the people of a nation that made that nation mighty. Now I know differently.

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The November-December transition this year brings about some major changes in my life. While my friend JT ponders his future, whether with his current company or the next, I’ll be starting my new position at the head office of the company I work for. While it’s not the pinnacle of my career, to be sure, it is a step upward and will open up a new realm of possibilities for me. However, my thoughts will definitely be with JT as he navigates the troubled waters he finds himself in. Good luck, Bro… No matter what, let’s make sure we’re tossing back some suds together in the near future.



Not only does the move to the head office bring to a close the work I’ve been doing for the last three years, it sees me moving completely into my new apartment in Shibuya, which I recently rented. Of course, I’m loving the new pad’s location and the fact that I can walk from there to my new workplace in Shinjuku if I want. Also, having previously been living in an apartment that was held and furnished by my company, I found myself responsible for finding my own furnishings for the new place. So, I splurged and went out and bought a new-model Sharp Aquos high definition (HD) LCD TV. And, with such a nice TV, I felt that it would be a waste to pump lousy programming through it, so I ordered Hikari cable, or in English, fiber-optic cable. It comes with some great channels, several broadcast in HD. Needless to say, I might be spending a little more time at home from now on. But, don’t worry, I’ll still be making the rounds.



Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how this year is wrapping up and even though 2008 started out quite fucking dull, I’ve had a pretty good run overall since mid-summer. But, I’ve been thinking a lot about how things will play out once I become Head Office Corporate Monkey Boy. I mean, my ultimate goal is to be my own boss, to run my own show, to be the Big Kahuna…
So I’m wondering if next week, when I find myself stepping through the big double doors into the dark tower, will the endless grinding and clicking of the gears and cogs of the machine housed within lull me into a hypnotized state? A state that will leave me content and uninspired to pursue the dreams that I have been considering for so many years…?



Well, only time will tell. But, I’ve already begun to hear the voices calling out from within the tower. Saying Welcome…



Welcome.

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As you may know, I’ve started a new series (with unpredictable, sporadic installments) here called “Japan Caught on a Cheap Digital Camera.” Well, as promised (or threatened, depending on your point of view), here are more of the photos that I’ve taken with my cheap-ass camera in the last couple of years.

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A favorite poem of mine is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Most people who know this poem rarely recall it in its entirety, but can usually recite at least a few lines from the final portion, which goes like

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

It seems to be the most moving and meaningful part of the poem for most people, and while I appreciate the thought-provoking power contained within these lines, I’ve always been intrigued by the first part, which goes like

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Take a moment to soak in these lines, especially the part

…And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler…

Did Frost mean travel along two separate paths simultaneously?



While quantum physics theory was still in its early stage of development at the time of this poem’s publication (1916), and the infamous Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics, which implies that “unobserved” particles exist in a superpositon of quantum states, or more meaningfully, they exist in multiple realities sumultaneously, had not been revealed to the world yet, I can only imagine that Frost considered the idea of parallel universes or alternate realities at least briefly when composing these lines.



Or, maybe I’m just a friggin’ geek. Whatever.



Even before majoring in physics at university and in graduate school, I’d always been fascinated by the study of quantum realities and time travel. Yeah, yeah… I know most people who’ve never studied quantum mechanics think the idea of a superposition of multiple realities sounds like science fiction, but it is accepted scientific theory and has some strange-sounding interpretations that come along with it. I won’t go into details here, but you can read the great introduction to quantum physics for the layperson, “In Search of Schroedinger’s Cat” by John Gribbin.



Anyway, having thought a bit lately about roads and roads not taken, I’ve been wondering if there is a me somewhere who took a different path than the one I did, existing now in an alternate reality I can only imagine. And, if there is, is he wondering about the me that exists here and now writing this post? Whoa! Wait a minute… There are people in this world who are wondering if the ones they long for, but are far away, are thinking of them right now, and I’m wondering if some other version of me is thinking of me? Holy shit! That’s wrong somehow. But, anyway…



It’s funny how I hadn’t thought much about this stuff in the last year or so, but starting about a month ago, it’s been on my mind. Too much free time? Hell no; I’ve been as busy as ever with moving, changing positions at work, hanging out with friends, dating… Who knows, maybe I’m longing for some down time. Maybe some action at a distance has occurred and an alternate version of me is communicating with me somehow. Maybe it’s a plea for help from a me that is about to have his timeline erased. Jeez! I just gave myself the creeps…



Well, as luck, or fate, or the sheer randomness of the movements of the universe would have it, I came across a post by Tokyo Cowgirl that seemed to touch on the theme of roads not taken and it resonated with what had been going through my mind for the last several weeks. Being someone that is most often excited by the questions more than the answers (though I am uncommonly tenacious in seeking the answers once I commit myself to solving a problem), I enjoy thought-provoking stories, statements, whatever…



So, being all fired up again about alternate realities and time travel, I busted out my copy of “Primer” and watched it for the somewhere-between-40th-and-50th time. Have you seen this movie? It’s an indie that won big at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and is likely the most powerful science fiction flick ever made. And, it was made on a $7000 budget with no special effects. Yeah, you have to put on your thinking cap for this one, but hey, you’ve got to pull it out of storage sometimes anyway; the moths have been at it.



So, now you ask, Has all this been just leading up to a movie recommendation? Well, maybe, maybe not. Either way, if you’re going to read any more of what I have to say on this subject, it might be better if you’ve watched “Primer” first.



Maybe next time, I’ll get into divergence points…



Update: This post has been updated at 7:10 to Tokyo

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I might catch some heat for the title. I mean declaring victory prematurely is in bad taste, right? Well, has there been any real doubt this past week that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States? Not as far as I could tell.



Anyway, I’ve got a poll going over at 7:10 to Tokyo, so stop by and vote if you haven’t already. And, though it may be a little early (and in poor taste), let me be one of the first to congratulate Mr. Obama on the victory he’s about to realize. It’s time for a change; let’s cross our fingers that he’s all we’ve been hoping for in our next president.

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Kudos to the folks at Fuji TV for coming up with a groundbreaking new TV drama that dares to explore the nature of the “Innocent Love” of two young women.




Wait a minute… Oh, I see. Oh, ok… Let’s start again:
Kudos to the folks at Fuji TV for coming up with a groundbreaking new TV drama that dares to explore the nature of the “Innocent Love” of two young men.



No, no, no… WTF!? Now, hold on… Maybe it’s about the incestuous relationship between twin brothers. No, that’s not it…



Screw it; Who knows what’s going on with this show?

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Fellow blogger and friend Neil recently posted some random photos of Japan at his website and that has inspired me to dig through some of my older and more recent shots to dig out a few of my faves. Without further ado, here they are:

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Being fresh off the hunt for a new Tokyo apartment, I’m starting to get things moved over to my new place. Even though the apartment itself is your fairly standard Tokyo one-room pad, it’s comfortable enough… But, what makes me really excited is the location. It’s in the shadow of the Tocho building in Nishishinjuku, but just far enough outside the area to be located in a peaceful residential neighborhood. The nearest station to my place is only a 7-minute walk away and it gives me a 3-minute ride into Shinjuku Station. I have to say that the area surrounding my local station is very cool and has no shortage of great little coffee shops and reasonably-priced restaurants, including a couple of low-level faves of mine, Pepper Lunch and Sukiya.



But, as cool as the very local surroundings are, I’m right next to Shinjuku and only 10 minutes from Shibuya, so it’s not likely I’ll be spending too many weekend nights out in the immediate area around my new place. But, beyond Shinjuku and Shibuya, the very cool and inviting Shimokitazawa is only a 15-minute walk from my neighborhood, so I expect to spend a bit of time down there if I can find some really cool hangouts.



Even though I’ve lived in Tokyo for awhile now, I never really took the time to explore such trendy places as Kichijoji, Takadanobaba, and Shimokitazawa. But, now that Shimokita is really close, I’m intrigued to find out just how well it’s going to live up to its reputation as one of the hippest (if not the hippest) locations in Tokyo. I will say, however, that the first time checking things out there on a weekend night left me a little disappointed. I met up with a couple of friends who’d arrived earlier and had had a few beers before I arrived, and we searched for something inviting, but nothing really pulled us in. So, we decided not to waste the evening and headed into Shinjuku, namely Kabuki-cho, and had a very cool evening full of drink, pleasant meetings, and a quite nice capper to the outing.



But, if anyone reading this knows Shimokitazawa, and would be kind enough to drop the names (and locations if you’d be so kind) of some cool places in the area, I’d be much obliged (even to the point of buying you a cold one there ). Looking around on the net a little, I found a place called Heaven’s Door Bar that I wouldn’t mind checking out next time in Shimokita. Anyone know the place?

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When my last web hosting provider canceled my service unexpectedly, and I had been caught with insufficient backups of my sites, I decided I would give up on JapanBlogger.net and just stick with 7:10 to Tokyo and this site here. I mean, the effort required to get JapanBlogger up and running in the first place was quite tedious. The thought of doing it again was enough to make that decision to let it go fairly painless. Well, after a few weeks to reconsider, I’ve decided to give JapanBlogger another try. I guess if only because more than a few people expressed disappointment in the loss.



Anyway, due the site being hijacked by a bunch of J-Pop fan-freaks from Southeast Asia, I decided to make site registration a requirement to rate the blogs. I mean, last time, some of those fanboys (and girls?) would log in and give every blog but the J-Pop ones one-star ratings. And, sometimes, they even got bitchy with each other and knocked each other down. In the end, some J-Pop-boy-band-loving bitch of dude’s blog called “Raid My Minibar” became the number-one rated blog on the site. Well, from now on I’ll be watching the ratings activity of the various members and seeing who gets up to the same fuckery as before. Those pathetic enough to spend so much time knocking down other blogs just to make their blogs’ ratings stand out, will be banned. Jeez, how lame! Getting banned from an upstart site that isn’t well-established enough to have their high ratings mean much yet, anyway.



But, with that rant out of the way, let me encourage you to participate at JapanBlogger. Check out some of the blogs listed and rate them. And, if you would like to recommend a blog to be featured at JapanBlogger, give the details in the site’s contact form. For those who’ve already begun to participate, let me thank you. I really do appreciate your help.

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