Learn Some Japanese Culture

So I have been slacking recently on the blog front, however the good news is that the last month has been documented pretty well in pictures at least. I have been pretty busy lately with midterms, judo practice, and halloween celebrations. In order to better make sense of Japanese culture I have been doing a lot of reading concurrent with my experience. For anyone vaguely interested in Japan, I recommend reading any of these books:

• Gotta Have Wa
• Confucious Lives Next Door
• Looking for the Lost
• Culture Shock
• The Road to Sata

On another note, here is the link for the most recent episode of South Park, which provides an interesting depiction, to say the least, of the recent whaling problems in the Japanese fishing industry.

http://allsp.com/l.php?id=e192

The following is a top Ten List of Things You Should Do in Japan according to Askmen.com:

10. Try Speaking Japanese

9. Go to a Sumo Tournament

8. Belt out some Karoake Tunes

7. Ride the Bullet Train (shinkansen)

6. Eat Conveyor-Belt Sushi

5. Lose Yourself in Akihabara (electronics district)

4. Play Pachinko

3. Spend a night in a Love Hotel

2. Go to an Onsen

1. Climb Mt. Fuji

So far I have only accomplished 40% (#10,7,6,2), however I very well maybe peer pressured into going to Karoake tonight and I am tentatively planning a trip to Tokyo for my birthday (where Akihibara is located). As I am coming to the realization that my days in Japan-land are numbered, I will probably start traveling more in the coming weeks.