I took a jet plane home this past Wednesday (first time on a 747 actually) and am now writing this post from the couch at my parents home in New Hampshire. It’s been nice to finally fly home and I am so tired-out I can barely stand it.

I did manage to take a picture of my last meal in Japan though at the airport. I will send some updates along when I finish up the final episode, just as soon as my jet lag subsides. Talk to you all very soon.

Photo taken at the Panasonic Center in Ariake, Tokyo, Japan. Cardboard dinosaurs rule!

Ok, well not really wrapping it up quite yet. Just some thoughts on paying my last rent payment here in Tokyo, a small request to all listeners, answering a letter to my future self, and more. Che-ch-che-ch-checka-check it out!

Show Notes:

• Paying my last rent payment
• Listeners - submit your thoughts on your favorite part of FJ
• Watching an excavator for 2 mins (sorry for leaving that in there)
• Interlude: “Memories of an Old Dog” by Fireproof Babies
• Thoughts on video games in Japan
• Answering future self letter from 1 year ago
• My Japanese ability
• Moving out sale
• Outro: “Uno Two (Instrumental)” by KCentric

Hello everyone. Just a few thoughts I’m tossing out as a catch up episode. Join me for lunch on the bay as we sit, chat, and do a little catching up. Also, in this podcast, I was joined by a special feline guest. Tune in here.

Show Notes

• (none because I am lazy tonight)

You asked for it, you got it. Straight from my (old) studio to your ears. This episode is 100% sound tour. Put on a pair of nice headphones and sit back to relax to the sounds of the Japan. The following sounds have been recorded during the last year or so and have been collected for your listening enjoyment.

Show Notes:

• Short Intro
• Clip1: 2007-05-31 Riding the Yurakuchou Line
• Clip2: 2007-09-19 Ariake TOC Building 7-11 Guy with Music
• Clip3: 2007-06-01 Crows at Waseda University
• Clip4: 2007-10-08 Watching Aural Expression Class Video
• Clip5: 2008-01-18 Singing Lame SMAP Songs in Class
• Clip6: 2007-07-07 Watching Tokyo Bousaikan (Disaster Preparedness Center) Smoke Video
• Clip7: 2007-07-15 Awesome French Elevator Music at Doutour Coffee
• Clip8: 2007-12-16 Chilling at a Club in Kobe Talking about Cats with Awesome Funk Music in the Background (Guest Appearance: Terrance from Kobe Beef)
• Clip9: 2007-12-16 Kobe Planetarium Presentation
• Clip10: 2008-04-05 Tokyo Giants Game
• Clip11: 2007-09-20 Sumo Tournament Match
• Clip12: 2007-08-08 Inside the Shinkanesen (Accelerating with Train Announcements)
• Clip13: 2008-04-07 Kanamara Matsuri (a.k.a. Kawasaki Penis Festival)
• Clip14: 2008-04-06 Crazy Sounding Cement Mixer
• Clip15: 2008-02-10 Cacophonous Sounds in Iidabashi (with commentary)
• Clip16: 2007-07-28 Drumming in a Small Park in Shinjuku

I feel like its quiet time. Join me for lunch in Ariake as I talk about what’s been going on with me over the past few weeks.

Show Notes:

• Intro - my favorite 7-11 guy
• Quick Overview of What’s Been Up
• Some Hakone ropeway / cable car Audio
• Sounds like a spaceship docking bay, for real
• Interlude - Unmoored (Again) by Fourstones (via ccmixter.org)
• Some discussion about my visa problems earlier this month

Show Notes:

• What’s been going on
• Linda’s Arrival
• Work
• Meeting up with Saya
• Meeting up with Scott and Karamoon
• New Listeners
• Responding to Blog Comments
• Projects
• Economics, finance, and work-related stuff
• Explaination of how I’d like to keep learning Kanji (help me out)
• Drink Review
• Kamakura Beer
• Daibutsu is there
• Saxophone train

Hey everyone, this is just a quick post to let you know all that I’m still alive and well.

Life here as been quite busy the past few weeks. The first week was spent trying to get my visa paperwork straightened out which has finally settled. Then was the onslaught of work events that has keep me bowling, drinking, and singing till the cows coming home.

Now things are settling down a bit, I will be doing a whole podcast just on the past visa experience as well as doing a audio-scrapbook episode coming up with the best unused audio clips from 2007. Stay tuned!

Ever wonder what its like to sit in someone’s pocket as they walk around Tokyo?? Now is your chance to find out! In this episode, I take a commute to Tokyu Hands leaving the recorder on for the full monty. I also talk about two fairly interesting topics. If you’re into sound tours, you’ll enjoy this episode.

Show Notes:

• Pre-show - explanation of show format
• Current Laundry Setup
• 
• Screwing around with my laundry machine
• Walk to Kuramae
• Hanging out with Scott from Tokyo Calling
• Needed the de-stressing from my visa issues
• Talking about co-habitation with the fiancee
• Quick stop at Lawsons (19:00)
• Cement truck turning sound
• Brief explanation of numbers on train maps
• Kuramae to Iidabashi (9 minutes edited out)
• Construction warnings
• Really annoying alien sound
• Running into the same guy who sold me food the day before
• Iidabashi to Ikebukuro (42:00 - 51:45)
• Trying to find the right exit
• Talking about usage of strange English
• The Bic Camera audio Assault! (45:00)
• Almost going to McDonalds for coffee
• Sonna no kankei nai advertisement (51:00)
• Tokyu Hands
• Valentine’s Day explosion!

Let’s get deep again. I tried to mix it up with some pleasant thoughts, some interesting sights, and of course, always deep deep riveting commentary from yours truly (sarcasm goes to 11, you know).

Show Notes:

• Some thoughts about Saizeriya
• Topic: Japan Makes You Busy
• A bit about my lifestyle
• Spending my time on the computer
• “The Four Hour Separation”
• 1 hr of screwing around
• 1 hr of reading
• 1 hr of art
• 1 hr of life
• [Musical Break]
• Why is it necessary?
• Opportunity overload
• 6 hours spent doing nothing this weekend
• Putting more “real” in realtime
• Train announcer gets on my nerves
• Escalator Apologizers
• Some Closing Thoughts
• Music - “Atlantic Midnight” by Jaspertine from CCMixter.org
• Music - “Drugstar” by Pthalo

It’s snowing in Tokyo, so what better way to spend it than bring you all with me on a trip to McDonalds for breakfast. In this episode, I tough it out through the muck and power-line slush bombs to chat about Japanese people and alcohol consumption. This episode is not very organized but there’s plenty to listen to and some music mixed in as well. Enjoy.

Show Notes

• Part One
• It’s snowing
• The guy who drank too much last night
• Yakiniku 食べ放題、飲み放題
• Japanese paramedics
• Intermission
• “Fixing My Brain” by Gillies (from CCMixter.org)
• Ordering breakfast at McDonalds
• “Colors Shifting” by Electric West (from CCMixter.org)
• Part Two
• Throwup girl in the train station
• San Nakji’s interview series, I’m next
• Phone call
• Bought some Dekavita
• 

See, the great thing about only having work now is that I have time to do stuff like this. This video is from the Osaka Aquarium, one of the largest in the world according to their website. In this clip, we get a good view of the main tank for a few moments while I rested amidst the gaggles of children.

Probably the fast episode I have ever put together, but a good one at that. I’ve got two main chunks of goodness in this episode. First, I talk a little about the CEO at my company and how I see Japanese companies changing. Second, we go on a sound tour of arcades in Ikebukuro looking for Guitar Hero. Will we find it? Listen in.

Show Notes:

• Working full time
• CEO Story
• Ikebukuro Arcade “Sound Tour”

Show Notes:

• School’s out! Well almost
• Answering a letter to my future self
• The Overcoat
• Dan Carlin’s website
• WNYC Radio Lab website
• Brief comment about the awards thing

I was just looking at some Google stats and log stats from my hosting company yesterday and wanted to share with you all how great this year has been for Finding Japan. This has been the most successful online project I’ve ever worked on. Even if I haven’t formally defined success criteria, it sure feels like it.
Finding Japan 2007 Statistics

• 13,163 visits (6,107 unique) from 1,556 cities in 97 countries on 6 continents
• 16% of visitors were from Japan
• 20% of visitors use do not use English as their primary language for their browser
• Over 400 GB of data was transferred to you all
• The pre-episode from Feb 22nd was the most downloaded podcast episode
• Tokyo Calling had the most referrals of any other personal site

Thanks again for a wonderful year and I look forward to even more fun this year. Best to you all.

RAN RAN RUUUU!!!

And just in case that made you hungry, here’s the MegaMac that’s back again! There goes the heart.

Perhaps I should have accepted an award for the worst haircut-cast ever. At any rate, we’ve got two topics for you this time around. A bit about the award discussion from the previous blog post but even more from the center of cheap haircuts in Japan, QB House.

Show Notes:

• Leopard upgrade completed
• Throat hurts - getting a cold?
• Great discussion on the site, thanks!
• Award Discussion
• Make sure you check out JapanPodcasters.com
• Brief listing of some of the podcasts there
• We need to resurrect the Kobe Beef show
• Haircut at QB House
• 
• QB House Website
• Haircut costs only 1000円, how can you lose!
• Prior art: Rich Pav’s Hair Cut Cast from May 2005
• Notes about audio
• Television sounding thing - radio
• Fascination with vacuuming my head
• A little weather and language discussion
• The entire audio clip available here: QB House Full

I came back to Japan to learn that Finding Japan has won the 2008 Japan Podcasters’ Exploration Award. I am both pleased and surprised. Even just to be associated with some of the other winners and podcasts listed in this directory is an honor.

When I started this podcast, I really didn’t think much in terms of trying to win awards or to gain any press. In fact, I can’t remember any promotion that I have done outside of this site itself and registering it in the iTunes directory.

Truly, I’m satisfied if only one person learns something new about Japan and even more so if people can add to my own impressions and thoughts. It is the friends I have met and the people I have had the opportunity to interact with that has made this much more than a singular experience.

So thanks to all of you and I share this award with all of the listeners who have contributed comments and feedback. I hope to make 2008 just as fun and hopefully share even more about finding Japan. Thanks.

Also, if you are not familiar with JapanPodcasters.com you should check it out, especially if you are interested in other Japanese podcasts. There is also a review of Finding Japan available. ^_^

I’m back in Japan finally. After a wonderfully great time with my family and friends, I’m back to the grind here in Tokyo. A quick update of my travels and some brief impressions after leaving and then returning to this country. Enjoy!
Show Notes:

• Arrived back in Japan
• Been up for 22 and 1/2 hours
• New toys from Christmas
• Continental Airlines entertainment systems
• Getting Into Tokyo - Narita Express vs. Keisei Skyliner
• My occluded view of Mount Fuji
• Impressions on leaving Japan
• Impressions on coming back to Japan

Hey everyone. Just wanted to say a quick “Hello and Happy Holidays” here from the states. I have been spending a great amount of time with my fiancee as well as our respective families. It’s been far too long without seeing everyone. All of the presents have been unwrapped, the gifts given, and plenty of wine and food has been shared. I hope you all are having a very happy holiday as well.

So now, 2008 is shaping up to be quite fun and exciting. I’ve got a few new gadgets to talk about when I get back as well as well as some tools for podcasting (including Logic Studio 8 and Leopard) (^_^)/m/ that I’m excited to use when I get back to Japan. Until then, stay safe and warm.

I’ll leave the explanation to Melissa over at Mboogiedown Japan who also posted these videos. But now I too will never forget the kanji for Naku. LOL.

Short Version: Kojima-san is a popular comedian on television now who’s shtick is saying “sonna ni no kankei ne nai” while dancing around half naked. Need you any more explaination than that! No, didn’t think so. Enjoy!

Its been a while since I posted just some pictures. These are just a few samples of some more pictures that you can check out from my set called August 2007 - Miyajima over on Flickr. There are many more from other areas we went to during this summer’s touring of Japan, including Hiroshima, Nikko, various places around Tokyo, Mount Fuji, and more. Its been taking me forever in order to get everything posted, but I’m working away at it slowly but steadily.

New podcast this weekend? I sure hope so!

Show Notes:

• Explosive laughing intro
• Fred’s rant about podcasts
• People who talk about how they make podcasts on their podcasts
• Joking about the FindingJapan DVD
• Reminiscing about “Netiquette”
• Why we’re talking about coffee
• Talking about the previous original video episodes before the official FJ episodes started
• The original coffee episode - Episode 21
• Doutor Single Service Packs
• 
• Fred’s New Coffee Machine
• A magical tour of Fred brewing coffee
• Discussion of froth vs. no froth with automatic coffee makers
• Baronette flavored coffee taste test
• Japan Coffee Place Audio Sound Tour Review
• Clip 1 - Starbucks in Asakusa
• Clip 2 - Campus Coffee Shop at Waseda University
• Clip 3 - Excelsior in Ikebukuro
• Clip 4 - Doutor in Ueno Station
• Hot and Cold
• Perhaps a non-coffee related show with Fred about Japan in the future??

Short video clip from the Tokyo Game Show. I only had my cell phone on me that day so I was only able to get some small video. No narration or commentary, just some sights from the show. Hope you enjoy!