Going out with style

So this is it….

Thursday, the day before my last day I was taken to a summer festival for some location filming.  It was a special festival at the Ikutama shrine.  Very nice.  My first japanese summer festival.  The food was pretty good.  Nothing too abnormal.  Most of the stuff is actually pretty good.  They even had the pancake balls I love.  The weird thing is the games.  They have the normal “knock prizes over to win them” games and then they have the “catch a baby chicken in the bag and keep it” game.  They had alot of those kind of things:chickens, goldfish, hermit crabs, EELS.  The eel one was definetely the weirdest because you had to hook the eel on a line and reel him up.  Everything else you had to catch, the eel you had to stab.  So besides the booths and all the girls in summer kimonos, which is so cool to see, the temple activities were cool too.  I had the temple….guys(they weren’t monks so I don’t know what to call them) bless me with good luck.  It involved them singing, clapping and then bitting me on the head with a fake dragon.  Then I got a good health stamp on my arm.  Then, for good measure, I got it on my cheek too.  MY FACE CHEEK.  I found out later that only kids or really crazy, cool guys get stamps on the face.  ALRIGHT, crazy cool.  So I walked around with my stamped up, dragon bitten body until it was time to work.  At night there was a ceremony involving a long parade of musical children,  a wagon with drums and chimes being pulled around,  and 2 giant shrines being sprinted around by some guys.  It was all very vast and very hectic.  So I am on the side taping from a safe position when my boss runs up to me and says something like “Andrew, your a camera man.  Go get the good shots.” and he pushes me into this giant mess of people.  So I am running around, ducking and dodging people and kids trying not to get trampled to death will taping the whole event.  I see my boss running in front of the shrines and I am just impressed that he isn’t killed.  Then after all the mayhem is done the real event gets started.  They pulled out this giant wooden wagon with a huge drum in the center.  The thing had to be about two car lengths.  After they pulled it into the center 6 guys dressed in all japanese style garb jumped up on the wagon and started playing the drum in the center.  Then the wagon starts getting moved around the shrine.  It starts out moving slow enough but then they really start to pick up speed.  Then all of a sudden the pull it around in front of the shrine and do a full out sprint towards the shrine.  I am standing right next to the shrine so I saw the following very clearly.  I thought they were going to turn at the last second.  Instead, I see a lot of the guys in front of the wagon sliding and trying to stop and this massive wagon while the back kept pushing.  I just stood there and was like “Is that thing about to crash into the shrine and all those people? It is going to stop in time right?” WRONG.  That thing came flying in there at like 5-10 miles an hour, full force.  I heard a loud slame and a lot of people scream.  I look over real quick to see that the wagon has hit the first steps of the shrine and stopped and all the people who were standing there are trying to recover from the shock of a 1 ton wagon crashing a foot in front of them.  And the whole time the drumers were still druming.  I was so happy everyone was okay and thinking that it couldn’t get more exciting after that.  I just want to say at this point that everyone really needs to go to at least one summer festival in their lifetime.  So the wagon pullers pull the wagon forward a little and push it close to the different crowd.  As soon as they get it over there they all run to run side and flip the thing over about a foot away from the crowd.  I am not joking, they ran up and flipped the sucka.  And once again the crowd screamed and dove for cover.  They did this a couple more times.  They did this with the drummers still in the cart.  In fact the drummers never missed a beat, they just kept on druming.  The scariest part was the guys whose job it was to duck under the cart and catch the drumers on his back. I thought he was going to get crushed by the cart more than once.  That was my last real day of work.  Not too bad.

My last day of work was too sad to go into great detail.  There was one point were a boss of mine gave me a real good handshake and I almost lost it.  But everyone gave me amazing parting gifts and we all got to take one last picture together.  Unfortunately, there was a major event going on so many of my friends at work had to leave early that day.  The ones who were left though went out with me after work and got some sushi and drinks.  It was a great way to end an internship.  I am just glad I won’t have to wear that suit anymore.

The next day I got up early to go to Universal Studio Japan with my old friend bart.  It was his birthday the week before and this was probably the last time I see him for a long time.  So we went to USJ together with the two free tickets that I had recieved from work(gotta love the free swag).   But thanks to the typhoon that was coming in it was raining that day(just like it had been raining everyday).  So Bart and I walked around and went on whatever ride wasn’t closed down that day.  It was surprising to see how many people still came despite the rain.  I guess when you don’t get many days off you gotta do what you gotta do.  Pretty fun but everything was in Japanese so suffice to say it was all a little off.  Especially seeing all the american sceens dubbed over into japanese.  After getting completely soaked we grabbed some sashimi and parted ways with one final goodbye.

Then we got hit by a typhoon.  I don’t remember much because like most natural disasters I slept through it.  Now its time to pack and get out of here.  See ya soon

t-minus 4 and counting

The Big One

Okay so This is whats been going on with me recently.  Try to keep up:

So I hit my halfway point a while back and I was moved out my first building and into my second.  This is a big deal to me because I spent a long time getting used to how things worked in the first company and meeting everyone.  I had started making friends with some of the people in my office, like Kenta who spent a few years in Canada and was pretty fluent.  So I get moved the new building and find out that no one understands any english at all.  None.  So the last two weeks have been a battle trying to figure out what I needed to be doing.

The first week I spent in the editing dept.  I worked with some of the VTR people, some of the editors and directors, and a the special effects team, who by the way are really cool.  One of them worked on two of the old Resident evil games.  Both of them used programs that I knew how to use so we had a good old time swapping ideas with each other.

The second week I worked in the sound dubbing office and the journalism dept.  The sound dubbing was pretty slow work for most of the day up until the live news program came on.  Everyone would come running in there to get their programs finished before airing.  One clip finished literally 2 minutes before it had to be aired.  It was amazing watching the runner take off and the rest of use watching the clock and the tv hoping he would make it in time.  I also got to work as cd checker, which basically was me litening to cool music and writing my opinion about it for future use.  About 2 or 3 of us were working on that most of the time.

The news dept was by far the most nuts.  Because it was just a bunch of people sitting around for a news event to happen.  And when it did the whole place would explode.  Sounds interesting but my boss wanted my cell phone number in case I had to get to work early the next day  to cover and event.  He called me 3 times that night: 10, 12, and 1 oclock in the morning.  The conversations went like this “Andrew, we need you here by 8,” “Andrew, don’t worry we don’t need you here until 10 so sleep in” “My mistake get here by 8″.  When its 1 in the morning and your boss calls to tell you to wake up at 6 when you were supposed to wake up at 8,  you are filled with a rege that won’t let you go back to sleep.  That and it was about 90 degrees in my room.  I have not been able to get a good night sleep since the weather turned humid.  Another reason I was so mad.

But good news is that my company took me out for a nomikai on wednesday.  A nomikai is basically a big party for a group of people, either in a class, group, or company.  So I had my fill of Japanese food and beer that night.  Have to say it was pretty fun except even though no one knew what I was saying half the time.  This wasn’t because of the language barrier it’s because after 3 beers most of my co-workers were completly drunk out of their minds.  I’m not saying I’m an Irish harbor worker but I held my drinks better than everyone there.  Which was good because I also had another nomikai on thursday and friday.  Like I said it’s been pretty fun.

Just when I get out they drag me back in

So this is my post.  Nothing exciting but it amuses me.  I had to do somemore location shooting at this high school.  Now I have been to this place once before for a little while.  ONCE.  We had taped something for a promotional video and by we I mean MY TEAM.  It`s me and a couple of the old boys here.  So the first time around I got into a little trouble because I talked once too often with some of the students there.  I can`t help it if they wanted to talk with me.  And if anyone knows me they know that I can`t ignore someone trying to talk with me.  That and I burn faster than any human being on earth but I`m spoiling the ending.  So anyway we get there and start setting up for the athletics day at the school.  Everyone is outside and ready to compete in weird and wacky races.  As soon as I step outside I am assualted by highschoolers yelling my name.  It`s safe to say that I remembered NONE of their names so it was a little ackward for me.  That and the fact that I had 400 high school girls swarming over me.  There is not a word in japanese for jailbate but that doesn`t change the fact that it`s still illegal.  All I want to know is WHY wasn`t I that popular when I WAS in High School?  Immediately my co-workers start eyeballing me and yelling `Andrew, DAME`.  In Japanese that means BAD or don`t do it and is pronounced DA like the russian word for yes and ME like may as in may I have some tea.  So I am trying to be on my best behavior.  I even offered to buy everyone drinks because it was so hot outside(hint).  On my way to the vending machines I was stopped to take a quick group photo.  So I said sure why not…WRONG…1 turned into 13.  13, and that is not an exageration.  Everyone in that group wanted a photo with me and even a couple of people who weren`t in the group wanted a photo of me with the group.  So after 10 minutes of posing I try to find a way inside only to find that every door and entrance has been locked and baracaded.  And by lock I mean with chains it was the biggest fire hazard I had ever seen.  So I return to explain to the group why I don`t have any drinks.  While I am explaining a couple of girls run up behind me.  Take a picture in front of me like I`m a statue and then run off.  My team turns to me and starts yelling `Andrew WHAT did we tell you?` and I`m trying to say `It`s not my fault` in Japanese.

So to wrap up about 8 hours later we start packing up to leave and I take a good look at my arm and realize that I am about 10 shades redder than I should be.  The rest is just a painful blur that I rather not go into. 

I want to watch Bambi so bad right now

I know its been a while but I have been swamped with work.   THey really don:t want me bored so they are loading on the work.  The other day I was up at 5 oclock to make it to work on time and I didnt make it back untill 11.  Today is saturday and I am in Nara.  I am to help out on the live studio news program.  Probably just helping set up chairs or something but I did get to go check out the temples in Nara so that is a plus.  But get this, we went to nara park where they have live deer running around.  Remember how I talked about the……..

sorry about that but I had to go work and now it is like two hours later.  I got pulled away and boy have I been busy.  I had to go step up the stage.  And I dont mean chairs I mean the actual set that they will be using.  Then we grabed some really good lunch of ramen and chinese dumplings.  After I meet the cast and they were all really friendly.  The weather lady is kinda crazy but she speaks great english.  The main news caster is an american.  His wife went to high school in Brentwood.  When I was introduced to him he started to speak english with me and shocked the hell out of his makeup department.  Aparently in the 38 years he has worked there he hasnt spoken english at all.  So I got to hang out with the main news team.   Anyway back to what I was saying before…

remember when I saw those wild monkies, well this was like 10 times cooler.  It was like a giant petting zoo.  The deer where all over the town.  People would play soccer in between a group of deer.  They were like big dogs really.  You could pet them and you could feed them.  That was the coolest part because there is a special way to do it.  You bought a deer cracker and then the suckers just flock to you.  But you cant just toss it at them.  When the walk up to you you hold the cracker over your head, say something in japanese that I think translates into `respect for your god` and then you are supposed to bow to the deer.  Here is the kicker  THE DEER BOW BACK.  It is so cool.  I wouldnt believe it unless I did it and caught it on tape.  The deer bow.  How cool is that.  It is so funny to see.  Its not even like a kinda thing with some of them.  All the deer bow if you do this.  They told me that the deer god from the mountain taught them to do this so that is why you are supposed to show respect to the deer god when you feed them.  Anyway,  after walking around and seeing a butt load of temples with deer hoping around them we went to see the daibutsu.  That is the giant buddha statue that they have in Nara.  It is the biggest in Japan.  Then I had a melon soda float at the top of a temple on the top of a hill that overlooked everything. 

That has been my day so far and it is not yet finished.  I Will let you know how it goes tommorrow as well as tell you about what happened when me and my old roommate meet up the other day.

later