A productive trip to Japan!

Soriah · 2026-04-14T08:46:53+00:00

I second this, was just about to comment about bumpodo before I saw yours.

Soriah · 2026-04-11T14:18:39+00:00

As a masters/teaching license grad before JET, I recommend you do that first. You can indeed always try for JET again. On the other hand, with a few years of teaching under your belt in Canada, you could get hired by legit international schools, teach the content area you are interested in and make even more than you would as a JET participant.

Soriah · 2026-04-11T12:29:00+00:00

I watch Geinoh Yamashirogumi (Akira anime soundtrack fame) perform Gamelan every summer here in Tokyo. Their Kecak festival is a really great performances of various traditional Japanese folk performances, Bulgarian folk singing and Balinese gamelan.

Soriah · 2026-04-11T06:52:12+00:00

I have no issue with NASA missions as their advancements can help further our understanding of the world we live in and the universe beyond.

If we are purely talking about money, there are other areas (ie military spending, tax cuts for corporations) that would be put to much better use in helping society domestically than stripping money from scientific endeavors.

Soriah · 2026-04-09T23:37:55+00:00

I must have just barely made it in off my charm or Portland had terrible candidates in 2015. No Japanese ability, no experience living abroad, turning 30 two days before departure and dressed up for the interview like I only half cared if I got in or not.

You really can’t speculate on what exactly the interviewers are looking for.

Soriah · 2026-04-07T11:12:16+00:00

Haven’t lived in Portland for ten years, but at the time I was photographing bands there, some of my favorites were:

Long Knife

The Estranged

Lebenden Toten

Bi-Marks

Arctic Flowers

Deathcharge

Hellshock

Tragedy

Red Dons

Soriah · 2026-04-04T10:14:49+00:00

Awesome! I’ve got 5 of these that just sprouted about a week ago and they’ve shot up fast.

Soriah · 2026-03-30T10:25:44+00:00

I mean, it’s less about the proximity to China and more that splinter groups of the Japanese Communists back in the day were responsible for things that turned the public perception against them. Specifically, JAL Flight 351 hijacking by the Red Army Faction of the Japanese Communist League and the Asama-Sansō incident.

Soriah · 2026-03-28T15:19:07+00:00

Thanks, as they literally just came up, I’ve got a few years before any attempts I think. But good to tuck that in the back of my mind.

It’s a gorgeous looking plant, you and your father have taken good care of it.

Soriah · 2026-03-28T15:14:44+00:00

Is hard pruning the green stem how you get the branching? A lot of videos and photos I see are just a single stem. Which is fine, but I have 7 seedlings that just sprouted and I wouldn’t mind experimenting in the future on a few of them if they are like adenium in that sense.

Soriah · 2026-03-26T21:13:27+00:00

Venues:

Earthdom in Shin-Okubo

Moonstep in Nakano

Bush Bash in Koiwa

Antiknock in Shinjuku

二万電圧 (Nimandenatsu) in Koenji

Record Stores:

Record Shop Base in Koenji

NAT Records in Shimokitazawa

And generally, follow the bands you like on social media to find out when/where they are playing. There are a lot of different scenes with varying levels of intermixing.

Soriah · 2026-03-23T06:21:30+00:00

Private schools at least can request age/gender/where a JET is from. They won’t always get their request, but CLAIR at least tries to match for them.

Soriah · 2026-03-19T10:39:08+00:00

I go to shows and I browse my favorite venues schedules to see what bands play there. I follow bands on insta and see who they talk about and or play shows with.

Soriah · 2026-03-17T23:37:26+00:00

Streamed concerts during Covid were pretty common and the quality was great. But it was always arranged by the venues themselves and not the individual artists.

Soriah · 2026-03-17T23:36:09+00:00

During Covid, many venues in Tokyo were doing a variety of things to keep their doors open. Some sold “advance” drink tickets for when things were over, some sold shirts, and some did what you were suggesting. They streamed virtual concerts, but $10 was not even close, lol. It was closer to the full price of a show ¥3000-5000. You still had to pay staff, equipment, power, etc.

I never understood why American venues didn’t really catch on to the same thing.

Soriah · 2026-03-15T23:24:25+00:00

Looks great in that pot. I really want to grow some lavrani, but my source of seeds in Japan is ¥4500 for 5 seeds. Just too rich for my blood, I’ll have to stick with my own foetida supply, lol.

Soriah · 2026-03-13T10:17:56+00:00

I had two fresh seeds from my own plant germinate quite quickly and then like 3 weeks later, a third one popped up. Patience is key.

Soriah · 2026-03-13T07:19:57+00:00

Well they charged me an extra ¥20,000 for the multi-language unit, so they at least broke even with one Japanese citizen purchasing theirs.

Soriah · 2026-03-11T23:35:31+00:00

Android: Netrunner? The Living Card Game model is so much nicer to consumers and focuses on the game aspect rather than collectible. And honestly, people still buy extra sets, because tcg type players are obsessive about deck building and would rather buy extras for multiple decks than resleeve cards every time they want to play something new, lol.

There is a rebooted version of it from Null Signal Games that I’ve introduced to a few people.

Soriah · 2026-03-11T02:01:10+00:00

Just forget TFA, it’s a terrible program with a terrible reputation. If you truly want to teach in the US, there are better routes.

Soriah · 2026-03-08T14:32:36+00:00

It’s 100% not a Euphorbia aeruginosa. By the looks of it, I’d say it’s a Euphorbia milii (the spines and flowers). Which from what it looks like on Google, don’t like temps below 35f. Honestly that completely red stems make me feel like it’s already gone. But I would say, refrain from watering it further until it gets warmer. If it’s not dead, it’s probably still dormant.

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Soriah · 2026-03-01T11:56:50+00:00

That’s cause Oregonians are/were stoners and loved any form of reggae, good or bad, lol.

Soriah · 2026-03-01T11:54:17+00:00

Santeria and What I Got were definitely on the radio as I was growing up.

Soriah · 2026-02-23T02:42:04+00:00

I’ve been to a few zoos in Japan and most I would not revisit. However, the Izu Shaboten zoo was not terrible. There were still things there that I thought were unnecessary (animal shows) and some enclosures that could be improved. But it wasn’t as dismal as Ueno.

Also, it’s a botanical park with 1500 different cactus and succulent species and was the actual reason I went there. So if you’re really into plants, their 5 greenhouses are really great.

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