1. Maitri: Loving kindness; the ability to make someone happy. That "someone" can be:
   1. Yourself
   2. Someone you're very fond of
   3. Someone you have sympathy for (I forgot to mention that one)
   4. A neutral person
   5. An enemy; someone you perceive as the cause of your suffering
2. Mudita: transformation of pain
3. Karuna: joy
4. Upeksanam: equanimity, freedom, the opposite of imprisonment or forcing yourself on another person.

What I find interesting is what's not on the list: passion, obsession, lust, obedience, dominance, jealousy…lots of things I've known people from all over the world define as true love (especially jealousy) but to me never seemed right.

And if you don't believe it, that's OK, because there is no dogma in Buddhism. There's nothing that Buddha taught that you must believe or else be damned for all eternity. If it's true for you, then it's true.

• I's CUBE (Like them? Yes? No?)
• Some guy playing outside of Akabane station

Wanna see the chumbucket?

• Fill out this survey
• Link to me from yer blog
• I forget what the third thing was…oh yeah! Gimme some money. (How could I forget that?)

• This is 40 minutes long. That's how long it took for me to lose 1000 yen. Some will love it being that long, some won't.
• I completly disown the part where I said, "Yeah Baby! Keep puttin' out!" It didn't sound as funny as I thought it would. In fact, I sound quite pathetic. I apologize.
• It sounds boring on speakers, but absolutely amazing on earbuds. In fact, it sounds like you're sitting right in front of the machine playing.
• I have no idea how the pachinko machine knew my name and kept calling it out

My annual mohawk. It only lasts for about ten minutes. Just long enough to freak out my wife and kids.

Bonus photo: Me without the goatee. I started growing it back right after I took the pic.

Please don't post any personal details about the people involved, or even links to information. If you feel the need to know more, Google it.

Music by Plastic Soul Band

On the train to work this morning, I grabbed the hand of a guy who was feeling up the ass of a young woman in front of me. He was caught and the three of us went to the police station. Unfortunately the woman decided to not press charges so I just wasted two hours. At least the incident will be put on the groper's record.

Here's the post I talked about from BoingBoing.net about smoking etiquette in Japan.

Repeat after me: There are no used panty vending machines in Japan. The third most common vending machines after soft drinks and smokes aren't the ones for porn. We don't have supermarkets staffed by robots. You don't see "many many bars and other services that have big signs saying 'NO FOREIGNERS'." Are the Japanese "beta testers for future technology"? I don't think so. At least not the ones in my neighborhood.

Someone is going to mention this, so I'll do it first. You know, I, like, you know, say "you know" too much. You know? Chances are you already know.

Let's make it into a game. Wherever you are when you listen to this episode, every time I say "you know," punch a random bystander in the face. Send me photos of the hilarity that ensues, and the person with the best photo will win a prize.
Music:

Obadiah Parker

• Their mySpace
• Their website
• Their video on YouTube

Methlab Production

• Their mySpace

P.S. Wow, so far 90 people downloaded the 200MB hires version of Tony's vlog. That'll make him very happy. And I've only used 2% of my Dreamhost bandwidth. Merely a flesh wound. What surprises me the most is that it means I have at least 90 listeners. I only ever imagine around four, and that's including my mother.

15 million Japanese No Longer Use Paper Money EVER

Today, however, for 15 million Japanese, paper money is a thing of the past, according to the Japan Research Institute. No longer solely used for online purchases, e-money, accessed via a smart card or mobile phone, has become a way of life for many consumers in Japan.

read more | digg story

The song is from Daiki and Little Wing. Check out his photo. He looks like a pirate. Arrrrrh.

When I see the list on my blog of where listeners are in the world, I feel like I should be talking about more important things. I also feel a bit like Chauncey Gardener from the movie "Being There."

Morton Hull: Do you realize that more people will be watching you tonight, than all those who have seen theater plays in the last forty years?
Chance the Gardener: Why?

Check out the DV_Podcast for a peek at life in Japan through the eyes of some middle-aged guy with a really nice camera. It's a lot like watching a stranger's home movies.

A new video coming soon, depending on how early I can get out of work.

As a follow-up to last night's podcast, please send Tokura-san from Yamaha Music Communications (and CC me) feedback, advice, a CD order, or invitation to participate in our new form of media here, if you feel so inclined. By convincing record labels and band promoters to use podcasting for exposure, everyone benefits. Except of course, any curmudgeonly label execs who equate music downloading only with pirating, not promotion. In which case, I'll stick to helping independent musicians tap into an international audience and market. Sooner or later, most of the music industry will come around. Fact is, as consumers move away from TV and radio and more towards online social networking, they won't have much choice.

And to think that not just me, but all of us were less than a minute away from totally missing their performance. It's funny how fate works sometimes, isn't it?

Links go right to the RSS feeds to save ya'll some trouble. If you know of any good music podcasts from Japan that actually play music, let me know and I'll add them to the list.

• Monochrome Cafe – Professional, very, very mellow. Do not listen to while operating heavy machinery.
• Pod the Music – Professional, J-Pop. If you like J-Pop, this one's probably your best bet.
• Progressive Music Cast – Amateur, infrequent, not sure if they actually get around to playing any music, but it's highly ranked.
• abcdefg*record – Podcasts from an independent label. More talk than music. The music is definitely not mainstream. Might appeal more to the pink haired, body-pierced, tattooed crowd.
• BEATCLUB – 1 minute samples. Very popular, maybe I'll like it more if I give it a chance.
• NETZ_MUSIC – Commercially sponsored, mostly talk, songs not played all the way through. Perhaps interesting if you're fluent and curious to hear famous musicians just be themselves.
• Pod Street Music – Not exclusively Japanese music, but podsafe.
• TEPCO & Yoshimoto EntamecasTY – Commercially sponsored, either mostly or exclusively talk.
• Oricon Single Top 40 – Commercial, professional, no music, just listing off the chart-topping song titles.
• Radio Sakamoto – Ryuichi Sakamoto's podcast for J-WAVE FM. He's articulate and easy to understand in comparison to other podcasters, but unfortunately no music, which seems to be typical for podcasts produced by radio stations. They strip the music from the their radio shows and recycle them as podcasts.

In summary, I haven't been able to find a music show I like by searching the podcast rankings, but keep in mind that J-Pop really isn't my thing. I guess it's like someone who lives in Nashville but would rather have his ears chewed off by rabid weasels than listen to country music. If you can read Japanese, check out po-di-um.net's blog or Staff Picks for other recommended podcasts. They review all kinds of podcasts, not just J-Pop ones.

Update: Listener recommended J-Pop podcasts:

• Jpop Blast – Definitely not podsafe. I don't owe the price-gouging music industry here any favors for putting out a never ending barrage of homogenized bubble gum pop songs sung off key by here-today-pumping-gas-tomorrow cookie-cutter teenie bopper dance troops, so tune into to their show if that's your kind of thang. (…Did that come out of me? Golly gee, who says you need a vagina to turn into a PMS monster?)
• Muzie – Not a podcast but rather a community site for indy & independent artists in Japan. The should have a podcast, really, because on sites like this, sifting through the sludge for gold nuggets is an arduous process.

It amazes me how not in tune I am with what works or doesn't work in my own podcasts. It almost seems as if the more uncomfortable I am with something–the content, the delivery, or the editing–the more it resonates with listeners.

Listener contributed album art. (Mike, you are sick.)

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/32450/laughter/

Here's an idea for a podcast: Have listeners send in recordings of their children laughing. This one's my contribution. It's my wife tickling Andy 2-3 years ago.

But I am really happy with how the videos have been turning out. When nobody is around, I watch them over and over.

And here's a bonus recording for diehard fans. On the way home I tried to re-record this morning's episode, but I liked it even less and ended it with an f-bomb. You'll have to download it manually because if I make a link to two MP3s in one post my RSS feed will barf.

/podcasts/herroflomjapan_060105-2.mp3

OK, I'm going to press the "Publish" button now.

Here I go.

1, 2,

Update: Sorry for the 404 error. Fixed.

Anyway, I recorded this one while driving.

Update: I didn't realize the upload prematurely crapped out. Sorry about that. If you re-download the MP3 you'll get the whole thing this time.

Movie theater and mall photos. Clicky here.

Then today I pulled a 12 hr. shift, but I can't complain because the boss was already there when I arrived and was still there when I left. I don't know how he does it. He's a really good guy. But as I was saying, I was too tired to record, so here's last night's attempt.

I do like the last two videos a lot, though. I've watched them over and over and made my family watch them too.

A long time ago, shortly before I grew enough balls to start this podcast thing, I was amusing myself with a karaoke track, Audacity, and a $5 computer microphone. Tony came in and did what he does best–acted like a pest. It was just what the track needed.

• Before hitting the record button, I need to blow my nose so I don't punctuate every sentence with a sniffle.
• When the record light goes on, my brain passes gas. Just call me Rich Pavlov, why don'cha.
• My inner chickenshit weasel wishes I had said "five" instead of "fifty."

I think the highlight of this show was the Adam Curry Moment^TM when I wasted about 500 man minutes of our collective time by rummaging though my pockets for my subway pass.

I talked about quitting smoking by associating the thought of lighting up with other really disturbing acts you could just as easily do. It's probably mild compared to other podcasts, but I hope I don't traumatize anyone unnecessarily.

Anxiety won the last match hands down, so I'm taking a different strategy. Self-help gurus would call it, "Feel the fear, but do it anyway," but I prefer the mantra, "Hey anxiety: Eat shit."

Like it or not, I'm going to shit out the next 50 podcasts in 50 days. Short ones, about 10-15 minutes each. They might or might not have anything to do with Japan. If they stink, they stink, but over time they'll improve. I have get over the idea that every performance has to be spectacular, otherwise I'll continue to accomplish nothing and drive myself even more nuts.

Oh, how I envy people who can drivel, babble and spew their way through episode after episode and not feel the least self-conscious. For me, this is a real challenge, like someone who's deathly afraid of getting into an airplane deciding to take flying lessons. But it's our neuroses flaws as much as our strengths that make us interesting and unique, right?

It's time to start kickin' fear in the nuts.

Now, I know someone out there is going to be tempted to post something negative about them because they didn't sing and play every single note perfectly. The way I see it, they're simply amateurs enjoying themselves–just like me.

Just walkin' and talkin'. I mention John Rosemond (expert on parenting) , undokai and Ani-Zoo.

Last night I had fish & chips with cider at an English pub in Akasaka, took a stroll, talked with a few kyakubiki (customer pullers), and finished up the evening with karaoke. Recently I showed off some photos of me when I was younger, and a friend told me I looked like Freddy Mercury when I was in college, so I chose a song from Queen to sing.

Rich "Freddy Mercury" Pav

Someone mentioned that my podcast reminded them of the weekly public radio program This American Life, so I decided to check it out. For the past two weeks I've been listening to it eight hours a day at work. So for this episode I decided to try to take a lesson from them. No way is it anywhere near as good as This American Life, but then again they have a team of 10 professional producers working full-time on every episode. And there's no background music in mine. Too much trouble.

Update: I fixed the broken link to the MP3 file.
Update: The last minute or so of the file didn't get uploaded. That's been fixed too.

Show notes:

• There are accompanying photos in the gallery.
• Calpis (Not "cow piss")

There are photos in the gallery. The truth is they've been there for quite a while.

Some of the topics of discussion I had with the woman who cut my hair:

• I am a podcaster. That's why I took all those photos while I was waiting, and it's also why I have microphones in my ears.
• She never heard of podcasting, but she knows about MP3 players.
• She said, "So this is kind of like watching a video clip filmed while riding a roller coaster and feeling like you're there, eh?"
• She's still using Windows 98. Needs to upgrade but not looking forward to the pain of transferring all her programs to a new computer. The other day she cut a guy's hair who said he has three PCs that are still running Windows 95. I said he must really like it.
• Until 8 years ago, it was illegal to run a shop like QB House because of strict sanitary regulations. Also, the minimum price for a haircut was regulated. ($30-$40 minimum) In fact, the association for hair cutters still requires members to fix their prices. QB House isn't a member.
• The 300th QB House in Japan will open soon. There are stores in other countries too. She mentioned Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
• You get to keep the comb.

QB House links:

• Business is booming. The number of customers is in orange, the number of stores in blue
• The "service unit." Nice and sterile sounding, eh? You can hold your mouse over areas of the image to see explanations most of you won't be able to read. But it's cool because it's in Japanese, right?
• The next generation cutting station will include a video monitor to bombard customers with advertisements deliver various information to customers.
• Employment info. Full time employees make about US $22-45,000 a year. Part-timers make $10/hr and up, which means the company is really raking in money, but keep in mind that rent and electricity here are quite expensive.

Show notes:

• My toy collection:
  • Audio-Technica AE6100 microphone
  • Sony Microphone Mixer MX-50
  • iRiver 799
  • Sony Clie PEG-NX70V (Palm OS PDA, MP3 player, voice recorder, still & video camera)
  • a jumble of cables and adapters
  • $30 binaural mics from Good-Audio.com
  • Koss "The Plug" earbuds (Learn how to customize 'em!)
• Otofuke's website
  • Listen to more of their songs
  • Photos from their street performance in NYC
  • Photos of them performing on the east side of Shinjuku Station (The side Kabukicho is on.)
• If you like playing with digital photography, definitely check out AutoStitch. I have a gallery of images I made last night and today.
• Ani-Zoo (Pronounced "Zoe")
  • His official, under construction website
  • Page with a photo of him
  • I forgot to take a photo of the place where I saw him perform. So sue me.
• Learn all about Golden Week just like I did. Until now I never bothered.
• If you were to download my humble carp streamer photo and use it for your desktop wallpaper, I would be most honored.
• The sad sad Planet's website

My podcasting hat

I recommend listening to it with headphones on–your best pair–and in a very quiet setting. The detail is incredible, if I do say so myself. You can hear exactly what I was hearing. Try picking out the two times I scratched my head.

It loops very well. I feel asleep listening to it and dreamed I had little vicious frogs stuck in my hair. No joke.

I'm using the NYU Distributed Network to cache and distribute this podcast. Please let me know if there are any problems with it.

Show notes:

• Photos I took during the podcast
• Photos of Akihabara on flickr.com
• Laox home page. Pretty typical-looking site for an electronics store in Japan. (Butt ugly.)
• The lapel mic I used. Model AT9830. (Interestingly enough, there's a Russian model AT9830 too. She looks like the Grinch in a blond wig.)
• I mentioned Kappabashi, a neighborhood of Tokyo with stores that sell restaurant supplies, including plastic food.

Show Notes:

Masagoro's Website
Take 7

The Godcast Network: Behind the Scenes
The Sound Professionals: binaural microphones
Pictures of the stuff in my rig for binaural recording.

Digital Flotsam Podcast

BoingBoing blog

Please don't announce this podcast to tens of thousands of people. I don't want to incur the wrath of the bandwidth gods. Let's leave it as a well-kept secret for now.

The tour was so long that I didn't get to cover some things I wanted to, like my meeting with Scott Lockman of Tokyo Calling. He came to my company's office on Thursday evening to discuss a teaching gig. It's funny how radio guys never look the way you imagine them. Matching the face with the voice for the first time is like watching a movie that's been dubbed–only difference is the mouth moves in perfect sync with the voice.

My apologies to those of you on dial-up connections–this one's also a bigun'. Also, sorry for the audio levels being set way too high, but unless you're an audiophile you probably won't notice. Just turn the volume down a bit.

Thanks to everyone who left comments. What a nice bunch of people you all are.

Intro: Guano Apes

See the photo gallery! If there's nothing there, I fell asleep before I got a chance to upload photos. Check back later. I'll get them up, promise.

The JET Program

Masagoro's home page. In addition to being an accomplished artist, fluent in baby talk in two languages and performing original songs on toy piano outside the Shibuya station, a Google search reveals that she's also a published poet.