Shibuya Crossing

Shibuya is one of the most iconic places in Japan.  It was predominantly popularized by the movie “Lost in Translation” and “Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”.  Both of these movies showed sections of what some people call, the busiest intersection of the world.  Unfortunately, neither of these movies truly tells of the real character, or life of Shibuya.  The modern reality is that a lot of people hate Shibuya because it is mainly a high school and college hang out.  However, Shibuya is definitely one of the places that tourists should visit in order to understand the various subcultures of Tokyo itself.

The first thing that must be done in Shibuya is to find an exit, or to find a meeting spot.  The Hachiko Exit and the Hachiko statue is the most famous meeting spot in Shibuya.  In October 2009, the movie Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, staring Richard Gere will be released, retelling the story of Hachiko.

Statue of Hachiko

In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner’s life Hachiko saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.

Hachiko was given away after his master’s death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. Eventually, Hachiko apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachiko waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he did not see his friend among the commuters at the station.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachiko attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachiko and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachiko treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

This continued for 10 years, with Hachiko appearing only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.

Commemorating this real story, there is a statue of Hachiko just outside the train station.  If you want to see Hachiko himself, you can go to the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno where his body was stuffed and put on display.  The other major meeting spot is at the West Bus Loop where there is a statue of the “Moyai”.  It is a gift from the island of Nijima that resembles the Moai of Easter Island.  This is generally an easier place to meet people, but it isn’t as convenient.

Tsutaya at Shibuya Crossin (Credit to a friend for the picture)

The Hachiko exit not only provides a quick look at the statue of Hachiko himself, but you can also board an old style train car, and see one of the most famous spots in Japan, Shibuya Crossing.  This is a typical scramble crossing, but what you don’t realize is how busy it is.  During the day, it is busy, but manageable.  At night, once the bars start opening up, the crossing becomes a chaotic sprint to get from A to B.  Many tourists will head through taking video of this crossing.  It’s not something people enjoy doing everyday.  One of the best vantage points of the crossing is at Starbucks, situated in the Tsutaya building on the North West corner of the intersection.  Do beware that this Starbucks is extremely popular and always crowded.  Finding a window seat can be a challenge in itself.  The good thing about this building is that it provides a great way to start exploring Shibuya.  Whichever way you go from here, you’ll see different sides of the city, and different cultures.

This is Part I of a III part series.  Tune in next week for Part II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachikō

このblogは英語のblog。もし私の英語は難しい、日本語のquestionは大丈夫。

koooool hahahaha

forgot to note that, i found this on Steve’s blog

search for his blog on the blogroll.

“Engrish by JDM Steev”

Quando meu chefe pergunto se eu queria voltar para o trabalho em “grande estilo” depois de uma semana de licença médica, as minhas pernas deram aquela tremidinha. Algo realmente grande estava por vir. “Sabe fazer drift?” foi a pergunta seguinte. Pronto, o meu sorriso estendeu-se de orelha a orelha.

Às 13h desta segunda-feira (5) rumei em direção ao centro de Exposição Imigrantes, para uma reunião informal realizada pela Drift Company, que estará presente no evento X-treme Motorsport. O objetivo do encontro era de aproximar um pouco mais os repórteres do esporte. Lá tive o meu primeiro contato oficial com a prática automobilística Japonesa que surgiu na década de 1970. E realmente, como disse meu chefe, foi em grandessíssimo estilo.

Nissan Silvia, 240SX e Toyota Chaser estavam disponíveis para serem guiados no pequeno traçado delimitado por cones – coitados. Além da potência fora do comum (o menos potente possuía “apenas” 280cv…), a direção posicionada no lado direito dos carros, importados do Japão, foi outra novidade. O S15 testado estava equipado com suspensão de competição, embreagem de carbono, e diferencial bloqueado.  Sento e ajeito o banco do motorista na minha posição, ligo o bólido e rumo para a pista…

(tentando) Andar de lado

O traçado era pequeno, com cinco curvas, e as manobras eram executadas em segunda marcha. Apesar das diversas técnicas possíveis para iniciar a derrapagem da traseira, como utilizar a embreagem para elevar o giro e aí então despejar a potência, ou usar o freio de mão, o Nissan Silvia necessitava apenas de um toque no freio para transferir o peso para as rodas dianteiras, e de uma boa “solada” no pedal do acelerador para que a traseira começasse a tentar ultrapassar a dianteira. A partir daí, contra esterço no volante e cutucadas no acelerador em doses controladas são o necessários para manter o esportivo deslizando na medida certa.

As entradas da curvas foram fáceis na minha vivência. O problema que enfrentei foi o balanço para manter a traseira no ângulo certo do meio para o fim das curvas: O equilíbrio entre patinagem e controle depende da perfeita dose de aceleração com o ângulo do contra-esterço, coisa difícil de ser atingida em 4 minutos. Rodei quatro vezes (confira o vídeo), mas garanto que foi inesquecivelmente divertido.

Sensibilidade, acredito eu (além de muita prática), talvez seja o maior diferencial entre um bom e um mal piloto de drift. É necessário conhecer o carro e o seu acerto da suspensão, assim como a pista, para que um bom desempenho possa ser atingido. Toda a ação é baseada na reação que automóvel terá: o quanto ele deslizará, e o quanto de freio de mão, ou freio, ou embreagem, contra-esterço e/ou acelerador vão ser necessários para mantê-lo de lado pelo maior tempo possível.

Manter a adrenalina sob controle também é difícil. O ronco alto do quatro cilindros 2.0 16v turbo do Silvia aguçava os sentidos a cada acelerada mais forte, e exigia reações rápidas e precisas. É até engraçado por que não tem como esconder: Se errar você vai rodar ou seguir para o sentido contrário da curva. Nem é preciso dizer para não tentar fazer isso nas ruas, né?

Definitivamente não é o esporte mais barato do mundo. Mas aqui no Brasil, é um dos mais exclusivos. Obrigado, chefe, pela oportunidade (rs)!

Se você se interessa por essa arte, recomendo o contato com a Drift company: www.driftcompany.com.br . Os caras são mestres.

Stayed up painting til 2 this morning and dreamed about the car. Nothing else. It was driving all by itself on the mountain from Tokyo Drift. The background was that of the Final Destination stage from SSB Brawl. Off I go now… to seek that adventure in my brain. Sort of. Then I’ll come home and make fish then paint some more then go to work. *sigh* Oh, Monotony… you’re really not what I look forward to in the morning. Someone surprise me today with something out of the ordinary… please.

Edit: Well, I got my wish and decided to go out and get a tattoo today. XD Random as shit and shelled out quite the green for it but in the end – totally worth it. Initially, I was supposed to have a coworker draw it but I gave him like 4 weeks and it still wasn’t done so I drew it myself and this is how it turned out:

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Yet  another thing crossed off the Canister List. I got this because the library means so much to me. That place saved me from running away countless times. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of wonderful literature and helped me make many new friends [both in and out of books]. Sunflowers are my favourite kind of flower because I’m generally a really sunshine-y person so it works. They also make me really happy so the two put together. When I was getting it done, the guy and I talked for like…ever. He’s a stoner and we listened to reggae music the whole time. I felt like a made a new best friend.

The placement was kind of tricky. I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted it at first. I thought about above the pantyline but then I decided that maybe I wanted to have children at some point and getting a tat there would be a bad idea. I chose the left side because I wanted the arrow pointing towards my heart. Don’t think I have to explain myself on that one ^_^ There’s my story of the day and now I’m going to finish up with this boy’s painting. Ughhh, sometimes I just wanna kick him in the nuts but I’ll finish his painting anyways because I promised him I would. It’s technically already finished but I’m really picky about having my painting out in the world without it being perfected. I’ll put up the WIPs sometime this week. Made a bit of money at work today but it was short and fun. The ideal shift. Long day tomorrow…. figure skating lessons, class, tutoring, class, gym, errands, home.

Cheers, loves.

Gym workout

Listening to an upbeat music is inevitable for me now especially during my gym session because the music being played in my gym is not too good and seems like a broken music player because it has been like that for ages. Moreover, a good song motivates me to move faster and finish the session in cardio machine which at times I get bored easily.

I have listed down my favorite workout songs. If you know some other good songs, please feel free to suggest so I can consider for my next gym session..

1.) Boom Boom Pow- Black Eyed Peas
2.) Can you hear me- Enrique Iglesias
3.) Elevation- U2
4.) Get Busy- Sean Paul
5.) I know you want me (Calle Ocho)- Pitbull
6.) In the end- Linkin Park
7.) Krazy- Pitbull feat. Lil Jon
8.) Let me blow ya mind- Eve/Gwen Stefani
9.) Temperature- Sean Paul
10.) Numb- Linkin Park
11.) Poker Face- Lady Gaga
12.) So What- Pink
13.) Tokyo Drift (Fast and the Furious soundtrack)- Terikayi Boyz
14.) You’re gonna go far, Kid- The Offspring
15.) 4 Minutes (to save the world)- Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
16.) Lose yourself- Eminem
17.) Watch Dem Roll- Sean Paul
18.) My Love- Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.

Over the years, Hollywood has remade many Japanese movies and also made original movies that were inspired by Japan.

Here’s a list of some of them that I thought of. Tell me if you can think of others that I may have forgotten.

First, HOLLYWOOD REMAKES OF JAPANESE MOVIES:

• U.S. remake: “Gatchaman”
  

  Gatchaman (scheduled for release in 2011)

  Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ガッチャマン」 (Gacchaman)

  Original Japanese movie: 「科学忍者隊ガッチャマン」 (Science Ninjas: Gacchaman)

  

  科学忍者隊ガッチャマン

  (Click here to see my “Gatchaman” stamps.)

• U.S. remake: “Astro Boy”
  

  Astro Boy

  Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「アトム」 (ATOM)

  Original Japanese movie: 「鉄腕アトム」 (Powerful Atom)

  

  鉄腕アトム

• U.S. remake: “HACHI: A Dog’s Story”
  

  HACHI: A Dog's Story (release date 2009 Aug 8)

  Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「HACHI: 約束の犬」 (Hachi: A Faithful Dog)

  Original Japanese movie: 「ハチ公物語」 (Hachiko’s Story)

  

  ハチ公物語

  (Click here to read another post I wrote about this movie).

• U.S. remake: “Shall We Dance?”
  

  Another US remake of a Japanese movie starring Richard Gere.

  Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「Shall We ダンス？」 (Shall We Dance?)

  Original Japanese movie: 「Shall We ダンス？」 (Shall We Dance?)

  

• U.S. Remake: “The Ring“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ザ・リング」 (The Ring)
  Original Japanese movie: 「リング」 (Ring)
• U.S. remake: “The Grudge“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「The Juon」
  Original Japanese movie: 「呪怨」 (Juon (Grudge))

  

• U.S. remake: “Dark Water“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ダーク・ウォーター」 (Dark Water)
  Original Japanese movie: 「仄暗い水の底から」 (Dark Water From Below)
• U.S. remake: “Last Man Standing“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ラスト・マン・スタンディング」 (Last Man Standing)
  Original Japanese movie: 「用心棒」 (The Bodyguard)

• U.S. remake: “A Fistful Of Dollars“Japanese Translation Of US Title:　「荒野の用心棒」 (The Bodyguard Of The Wilderness)
  Original Japanese movie: 「用心棒」 (The Bodyguard)
• U.S. remake: “The Bodyguard“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ボディガード」 (Bodyguard)
  Original Japanese movie: 「用心棒」 (The Bodyguard)
• “Eight Below“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「南極物語」 (South Pole Story)
  Original Japanese movie: 「南極物語」 (South Pole Story)

  

• “Magnificent Seven“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「荒野の七人」 (Seven Men Of The Wilderness)
  Original Japanese movie: 「七人の侍」 (Seven Samurai)
• “Dragonball“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ドラゴンボール」 (Dragonball)
  Original Japanese movie: 「ドラゴンボール」 (Dragonball)

  

  (Click here to see an earlier post I wrote about this movie).

• “Speed Racer“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「マッハＧＯＧＯＧＯ！」(Mach GoGoGo!)
  Original Japanese movie: 「マッハＧＯＧＯＧＯ！」(Mach GoGoGo!)

  

• “Godzilla“Japanese Translation Of US Title: 「ゴジラ」 (Godzilla)
  Original Japanese movie: 「ゴジラ」 (Godzilla)

  

  (Click here to see an earlier post I wrote about this movie).

—-

And, HOLLYWOOD MOVIES THAT WERE INSPIRED BY JAPAN:

• Gung-Ho!


Gung-Ho!

• The Karate Kid
  

  「ベスト・キッド」 (The Karate Kid)

  (Click here for my post about this movie).

• Lost In Translation
  

  Lost In Translation

• Ramen Girl
  

  Ramen Girl

  (Click here for my post about this movie).

• Mr. Baseball
  

  Mr. Baseball

• Toxic Avenger II
  

  Toxic Avenger Part II

• Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D.
  

  Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D.

• Star Wars
  

  Star Wars

• Memoirs Of A Geisha
  

  「SAYURI」 (Memoirs Of A Geisha)

• Last Samurai
  

  Last Samurai

• Ronin
  

  Ronin

• Wasabi
  

  Wasabi

• Fast And Furious 3: Tokyo Drift
  

  「ワイルド・スピード」 (Fast & Furious) 3: Tokyo Drift

  Also, I just found this “Pixar ‘Cars’ X ‘Tokyo Drift’“:

• Black Rain
  

  Black Rain

• Blade Runner
  

  Blade Runner

• Austin Powers: Goldmember
  

  Austin Powers 3: Goldmember

• The Simpsons: 30 Minutes Over Tokyo
  (It’s not a movie…just one episode of a weekly U.S. TV show. But I wanted to include it since the characters go to Japan. And it’s funny.)

  

  The Simspons "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo"

• American Yakuza
  

  American Yakuza

• The Hunted
  

  The Hunted

• Rising Sun
  

  Rising Sun

“Looking out on the world beyond him”

He sees it, so close he could touch it.

So he goes for it.

Confident, at last.”

Those last few words put down marked the beginning of a queasiness in my stomach that persisted.

It was either the result of a stomach bug that had caused my festival-bound friend Chadd Harbold to “shit his brains out”, or the kind of feeling you get finishing your first screenplay.

Of course, the phrase “finishing a screenplay” is a misnomer. What you get at the end of writing such a thing, especially when it comes out in bursts from week to week, is something that is barely cohesive, riddled with typos and grammaticql errors, the product of rushing every week in brain-crushing guilt to finish your 5-8 pages to bring in to show your peers or not.

In a way, finishing work or writing pages does share a lot with the stomach bug Chadd had: since what you have is probably shit but you can’t wait to get it out.

A “blue” comparison I know (or dare I say, a “brown” one), but an apt one, if you asked me, particularly on the night of my writing group when I finished the pages.

It’s also worth nothing that in the film world, a screenplay is never completed until the film is almost in theaters, sometimes.

I have described screenwriting before as a “Pyrrhic art”, because if you attain success, that is the sale of a screenplay, you have essentially written something no one will ever see. Unless you are an auteur and write your own scripts that you direct, you are selling your child essentially to a director or producer who is not only allowed to rewrite the script as many times as he or she may please, bringing on various writers, but also filming it however they want, adding another level of interpretation. It’s like a giant, comical game of telephone, in that way. Except it takes that child’s game and applies it something you might profoundly care about.

Still, the young screenwriter puts that out of mind for now and celebrates for a time, the first of many finishes of his work.

Now, I was ready. I had already begun to think about my next project, an adaptation of the life of George C. Tiller and was eager to see how this would go over, how it would play.

I felt a sadness at leaving my characters behind. I felt a sadness at leaving the script.

But at the same time, I was filled with that gaul-y confidence, the feeling of inevitability, of bringing your work to your peers, into acceptance, into the unknown.

***

“I hope we can still be friends after this.” Jesse told me as we headed out of the writing group.

He was joking, of course, but the look on his face was one of sheepish uneasiness.

For Jesse, along with the other members of my writing group, who I had meant to surprise with the ending of my script, had just, as politely as they could, panned the shit out of it.

“Dude, I mean, come on.” said Andy, in his half-disbelieving SoCal drawl. “You couldn’t think of anything else?”

I didn’t know what to say.

I had founded my writing group as a way to get out pages, week-by-week, to add social pressure to the guilt of not writing, figuring that while it was easy enough to lapse into self-neglect, my personality wouldn’t allow me to think I was letting down my friends and people who had confidence in me.

More than that, I wanted to stay in touch with people: former film students, writers and actors. I wanted to see what’s up and read pages that I enjoyed reading in a casual setting, like the best moments of the writing classes I had taken at school, which were packed with friends like Rob Malone and Blake LaRue who brought in pages that were always funny and weird and a pleasure to read.

The group had gone on well, but it appeared that I had gotten spoiled on the praise I had received so far for my pages.

Writing the way I did, up until the last minute, hurrying and half-assing my way to any usable printer and exhaling only when I sat down to read had given me swells of self-satisfaction at my success, since I felt not only that my writing was accepted, but it was accepted in spite of meticulousness. That I could write well without, well, earning it.

It only fit that at the apotheosis of my efforts, I found myself dashed.

If you think that’s all melodramatic, I’d refer you to the words of my comedy writing teacher, D.B. Gillis, who once told me:

“The first response of any writer to a critque of his work will always be: fuck you, die.”

As the group split up from Caffe Dante, I trudged home, feeling the music that accompanied depressed characters from the television show “Arrested Development” play me off.

One thought in my head: Well, at least that girl, who couldn’t show up, wasn’t there to see this.

***

I should remark that failure artisitically has only brought me success in my past life at New York University Film School.

In my freshman photography class, the failure of my pastiched attempts at describing the world around me lead me to do more introspective work, which the class loved.

In my sophomore class, my attempts at specific one-line jokes of a film, fell flat, so I made sure every film I made told a story.

As a junior, I was too scared and dismissive of my own abilities and let a friend help direct my film, the recognition of which sent me into acting and directing class I loved.

As a senior, my first two scripts were flatly denied by my teacher, which pulverized me every time, to know something that’s come from you is inadequate, until I made my third script, which made me proud.

As a lover of women, I never tried to dress well or stand tall until an ex-not-girlfriend called me up to tell me she’d fucked my doppleganger, a move that acted like a slap-in-the-face towards some sort of recognition of self-appearance.

You could call this a positivistic narrative, a narrative of progress that I am imposing, the kind that people criticize when they discuss the falsehood of history.

The only response to this I could have, is that the idea that we are progressing in our lives, or moving forward, is what keeps us sane.

Like wearing a beloved hat, it’s unsure whether or not the hat makes you look cooler, except that you feel cooler wearing it.

If that makes any sense.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that I’m unsure what I’ll do with the end of my screenplay, but that it’s only the first finish of many.

And life marches on.

***

I moved into my new apartment today.

It feels smaller, though I am told over and over that it isn’t.

As I packed up my life of the previous two years, the same friends who hated my pages, came to move my furniture.

“My one rule is that I’m not touching your undies.” Andy told me, as we packed the apartment. “It’s like Pretty Woman, where she doesn’t kiss on the mouth.”

And now I’m sitting here, adjusting, to an apartment that was much like my previous one, but feels different all the same.

I feel odd and I’m still not sure I don’t have Chadd’s stomach virus.

But it isn’t about how I feel right now, but how I feel tomorrow.

Is what I think.

Is what I get from all this?

Alright, that’s pretty lame.

“I’m heading home later.” Rob, formerly Beardo, texts me. “I need to make my Washington State homage to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.”

“How about The Fast and The Furious: Drunken Hobos in Olympia?” I suggest.

“Only if you’ll be my brother.” Rob tells me. Then:

“Hurry up with you’re response. You’re letting me down.”

So did everyone hear about this? The Nissan Skyline that Paul Walker drives in the new Fast and Furious movie has been stolen! That’s right some guys busted in a warehouse in Los Angeles where the Blue Skyline was being housed and stole it, damaging a few of the other cars in the warehouse as well. While that is some bad news for the owner: Chris Milano, even worse news is that the car wasn’t even insured!! It was being used mostly for marketing so he saw no reason to insure it…Smart. If anyone would like to set out and find this stolen Skyline there is a reward in it for you. Just something to think about.

I had the chance to see some cars of the fast and furious series in the flesh. They were displayed at the universal studios in hollywood. Most of them are stunt cars or 2nd cars. They were in a really bad shape…but hey they aren’t master cars

Nissan Skyline R34 GTR (2 Fast 2 Furious)

Mazda RX-7 FD3S (2 Fast 2 Furious)

Toyota Supra mkiv (2 Fast 2 Furious)

Acura NSX (2 Fast 2 Furious)

Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder ( 2 Fast 2 Furious)

Subaru Impreza WRX sti ( Fast and Furious 4)

Buick Grand National (Fast and Furious 4)

1970 Dodge Charger (the Fast and the Furious)

- all pictures by Andres Herren -

…Tokyo Drift!

Totally love my new cd…and am shamelessly pimping it – i’ve discovered a new passion! Teriyaki Boys! Check it!!

This is the stuff that gets your head light and your right foot heavy

Video Option is releasing a 2-part video on the D1GP exhibition, Tokyo Drift 2. Found this trailer on Nori Yaro and thought I’d share. Looks like some good coverage of the event, which is more about pleasing the fans than competition.

…as in “Im cuming, Vin!” ) (Nashpa when you have to explain the jokes )

L-am vazut prima data in Fast and Furious and he stole my heart cand a prins-o de buci si a ridicat-o pe Michelle Rodriguez. Iar faptul ca era in pantaloni de piele…well let’s just say it pleased me

Because I have neglected the ladies lately, I’m making up with Vin Diesel:

Hey, Vin, si mie imi plac La Familia Wanna do the physicall expression of love? (as fi putut sa exprim asta si intr-un cuvant din 4 litere, but I’m a nice girl )

I guess it wasn’t a nippy day

Take ME to the Awards!!!

Desi nu o sa ma creada nimeni, cel mai mult imi place…his deep voice, but if he begs for it, I’ll let him XXX  me fast and furious in a Tokyo Drift  ’cuz this man has the Diesel engine I need )

Kannst du dich noch an Disney’s “Cars” erinnern? Pixar arbeitet im moment an “Cars 2″ was bei uns 2011 im Kino erscheinen sollte. Damit wir es bis dahin aushalten haben Pixar und Disney uns einen kleinen Film gemacht was einfach nur brilliant ist!

Im grunde genommen ist es eine sehr gelungene Verarschung von “Fast & Furious – Tokyo Drift” mit Lightning McQueen, Mater, und…ehm…der rest. Hier sieht man Japanisches Blech und Spoiler so groß wie…naja, schaut selbst rein!

I love Disney Pixar movies and I love the import tuner scene, but the to of them mashed together? GLORIOUS! Be sure to watch it in High Quality. [HQ]

I found this extremely amusing. The little Japanese in it is a little odd, but it’s funny nonetheless.

Oh, and Pixar makes it awesome win.