Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

totoro's in Japan

Once I get back to the US I will post pictures with all my other webshots stuff (user pokemon_va) but that may have to wait until nats as well.

I do encourage all of you to look into the JET program after college if you are serious about coming to Japan. However, the big disclaimer is that you need to toss any preconceptions about what this place is like. Japan is like nowhere else on earth and I love it for many reasons, but my original vision of what Japan is like is 180 off from the truth. Once you get here, you'll understand!!

I am typing this from the hostel in Tokyo. We go to Disney Sea today and I did get to the Pokemon Center yesterday. It was the last day, I think, of the Pikachu promo card 10th anniv thing. I sweet talked the cashier into an extra promo, plus got a few from the students. (I think I've got a pretty good top door prize for next years VA States!) Got binders (big and small) deck boxes, a Pachi plushie that one of my juniors had requested, the DP 5 visual book with the heatran X and some other goodies. How on earth am I going to lug this back on the train for the 45 min trip back to Saitama on Wednesday?? I am a happy fool! Sorry King of Magikarps, no coin holder sheets this time.
The weather is amazing--in 8 trips to Tokyo in June, I never recall it this comfortable. It is usually hot, sticky, and downright gross here at this time of year, but today looks beautiful. I am looking across through the window here and Shinkjuku looks clear as a bell. It should be a nice day to visit Disney Sea.
 
Yup, Pachi gets the pachi. The only deck boxes anywhere in the store were 1) Regigas and 2) Heatran likewise same images on both big and small binders. I tell my players that these things vanish (forever) quickly in Japan and so they do!! They have begun print ads for the new sets, deck boxes etc and at that time all of the regigigas/heatran stuff will disappear, too.

We did Disney Sea today. It got hot. I got tired. But the park is unlike anything in Florida or Cali (or even Tokyo Disney Land here). The architectural design of the place was amazing. I'll have a lot of photos up when I get back. It's going to be one big album! We stopped at Akihabara on the way back since some of my students just cant seem to get enough of capsule machines. Some of the stuff there is ummmm of questionable taste (and definitely for the 18 and older crowd) Last week, there was some horrible violence there and some people were killed by a crazy knife wielding guy who just apparently snapped. News reports did mention Virginia Tech--it is becoming a really crazy world. Consequently the area is much more somber than usual. Tomorrow we go to Asakusa then Odaiba, then I get some alone time with a former student who now lives here as a student and part time paralegal. We should have some good relaxing time.
 
You are so lucky. I'd love to go to Japan with about $1000. Or, however much that is in yen or whatever they use over there. But sadly, that won't happen.
 
Today is our final day in Tokyo. We will leave our luggage at the hostel then go back to Harajuku. Some of the girls want to shop some more on Takeshita Dori, but I just want to hang out over at the Meiji Shrine. It is huge by any standards and most of it is heavily wooded. Amazing that in an area with the population density of Tokyo that such a peaceful place can even exist. If I did live here, I would be a frequent visitor at the shrine. Last night, my former student Matt took me to Tsukijii for dinner (sushi, natch) while the other chaperone watched the kids. We then went to Ginza and did some fun people watching. Near Ginza he showed me the Toho Studios building and the Godzilla statue (!) nearby. I confess to absolutely idolizing the big G as a kid, so it was a real treat. For those who care, the statue is clearly the "Heisei" version of Gojira, around the early nineties in appearance.
I am dreading the trip back to Saitama simply because three nights of sleeping on uncomfortable bunks in the hostel plus accumulated dirty clothes plus heavy purchases here will make it a rough trip back. Undoubtedly some of the students will begin to whine--it happens every year. Oh well, I'll talk to you guys at my next opportunity. Thank you for reading. It is really nice that so many of you even care about my little journey here!!
 
Note from student with Totoro:

-Capsule Machines eat money
-Don't mention Kingdras, they're stalking him
-Anybody able to translate the booklet that came with the movie ticket for the next movie? I want to find out about this lv 100 regigigas
 
No, its Pachi's Pachi.
We are back in Saitama after a morning in Harajuku, Tokyo. The irises were in bloom at the Meiji Shrine and the scent was incredible. Upon returning here yesterday in Saitama, I was driven with my daugher Megan to Kasukabe City. When we started this program in 1999, my first host family was from this city and I still visit them most years. The Oshidas run the Hachiman Jinja in Kasukabe, a relatively large Shrine. I had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Oshida, their daugher Aya, their son Kentaro "Kenken", and several friends.
Dinner was incredible. Megan loves her tuna sushi, especially the nice pink high fat mid grade toro like Mrs. Oshida serves. I prefer uni (sea urchin) which most Americans think is nasty, but I love. You can't get really good uni in the US (or at least not in Richmond, VA!) so it was a real treat--and it was only the first course!! I was proud of Megan's improved Japanese compared to her last visit two years ago. She was much less shy and felt at ease at least attempting to communicate with the Oshida's. Mr. Oshida commented that her Japanese speaking and accent are far superior to mine and I could only agree--heck I'm just a science teacher, right?!
On the way to the Shrine, we stopped off at a grocery store for gifts (it's a Japanese thing!) and I spied some of the Meiji chocolates with the Pokemon Card promos. Even though we've got most of these now in Majestic Dawn, I bought two boxes and got "bad" phione and a probopass (is that his US name?)

Satuday I hop on the Shinkansen and go to Kyoto. I'm very excited because I've never been there and the weather has been so beautiful this year I'm sure it will be a very enjoyable time. Only 1 night there, because we need to get back since our flight home is Monday. Please find me at Nats if you'd like to hear more--I LOVE talking about Japan!!!!
 
its so cool that ur in japan. i wish i could have some japanese items so i could show them off at nats. at worlds they sell japanese goodies right?like deckboxes, sleeves, mini binders ect? its good to hear ur having fun at japan Mr.T. have fun and see ya at nats.
 
charchar said:
its so cool that ur in japan. i wish i could have some japanese items
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90% of the items that I purchased at the pokemon center will be door prizes at my events in the coming months. Chances are pretty good that you will win one or will be able to trade with a winner to get an item. You guys impress me so much with your love of the game and your sportsmanship. This is the least that I can do in return.
 
SD PokéMom said:
not totoro, but: unless you have an 'all region' dvd player, japanese dvds won't play in a us (region one) machine. japanese dvds are coded region 2. the miyazaki movies released by disney in the us...spirited away etc. DO have the japanese soundtrack as an option, and english subtitles.

'mom
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Or have an Import PS2 like I do.
 
totoro said:
Some of the stuff there is ummmm of questionable taste (and definitely for the 18 and older crowd)
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Is it violence, sex, or both?

totoro said:
Last week, there was some horrible violence there and some people were killed by a crazy knife wielding guy who just apparently snapped.
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Wait...some people were murdered in Japan?!?! But...I always thought Japan was just a bunch of hot Japanese girls dressed in white/pink gowns/dresses with flowers in their hair, gracefully wandering around and singing beautiful Japanese songs with their gorgeous voices. I have been tricked, and I don't like it.
 
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Fox McCloud said:
Is it violence, sex, or both?



Wait...some people were murdered in Japan?!?! But...I always thought Japan was just a bunch of hot Japanese girls dressed in white/pink gowns/dresses with flowers in their hair, gracefully wandering around and singing beautiful Japanese songs with their gorgeous voices. I have been tricked, and I don't like it.
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1) mainly the second one

2) just because you see the good of a country doesn't mean thats what its like, every country has its problems. We just don't hear about it because we are here and that is there.
 
Fox McCloud said:
Is it violence, sex, or both?
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Theres no such thing as bad violence in Japan. Or atleast from my inacurate perspecitive....

Fox McCloud said:
2) It was kind of a joke.
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Go on the Pokegym long enough, and you'll learn that sarcasm/kidding is a foreign language to most. I learned this all to well with the many times I have made a pun that has come back to slap me in the face like a raw trout. For some reason, I think half of the time it involved ShadowCard....
 
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