Canada Trip :: Stop Ichi-ban

Well, here is my promise for a post at stop number one. I am writing from a hotel room in Saint Cloud, MN. After a rocky start this morning I got on the road and drove 8 hours with only two stops. Well, my parent were a bit concerned with me driving 15 hours the first day so they forced/asked me to travel over two night instead of one. This hotel is not bad and personnel are quite nice. Tomorrow I plan to get out at about 6 am and travel 12 hours to Regina, SK, Canada. This will be the longest leg of the trip and I pray I will have to ability to battle it out. As so as I can find my data cable for my phone I will have several pictures on my trip. So, if you would excuse me I finished dinner am going down to the pool for a dip.

Oh! Canada

As I approach my final 12 hours at home I think about all the things that I will miss here. Like the ability to talk with my okasan (mother) or otousan (father) when I desire and the familiar scenes of America the beautiful. Watashi no kozoku wa ai desu.

Yesterday after getting my oil change and as I drove past the Borders Book Store I noticed a BIG YELLOW BANNER under the sign that read "STORE CLOSING". I have bought all my Manga from this store.

"My favorite Borders is closing"

This Saturday I visited Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights to buy Yoshi and Kevin a thank you present. I love the unique Japanese Environment, authentic Japanese Food in the food court and the Magazines and Books imported straight from Japan.

This is one place the really gets the blood flowing.

"Mitsuwa the Japanese Grocery Store is awesome"

"My Favorite Ice Cream is Green Tea"

There will be more posts to came from each major stop so please stay tuned.

Facts of Japan. Vol. 1.1

Every man in Japan looks forward to receiving chocolate on Feb. 14

Valentine's Day is an important day in Japan, a time for couples to show their affection through the medium of chocolate. As is probably well-known by now, in Japan it's common for women to give chocolate to the special men in their lives, and in the days leading up to February 14 millions of fathers, husbands, boyfriends and would-be-boyfriends look forward to scoring some chocolatey goodness. There are two kinds of chocolate,honmei-choco or "real heart" chocolate, given to someone you actually care about, and giri-choco or "obligation chocolate," the kind female office workers feel obliged to give to the male employees at work, and their bosses. Chocolate companies are always trying to create new chocolate-giving trends, like the year they promoted gyaku-choco or "reverse chocolate," trying to get males to give chocolate to females as they do in the West, or this year's new buzzword of tomo-choco, chocolate given between friends. Of course, you never get a gift in Japan without giving one back in return (called o-kaeshi, a return gift), and March 14 has been designated as White Day, a day when men who received chocolate from women the month before should give something back, usually white chocolate or sometimes lingerie. South Korea also observes Japanese-style Valentine's Day and White Day, and has added a new tradition: Black Day on March 14, a day when single men who received no chocolate bitterly eat a kind of noodles in a black sauce.

Sayounara,

ジョエル グリイン

Facts of Japan. Vol. 1.0

Since I am so very interested in Japan and so many people I talk to don't know any more then me I would start making a post every so often with something I find interesting about the Japanese People or their culture.

the Japanese get red-faced when they drink.

I have had my fair taste of alcohol but I know I would never make it a habit like my aunts have made it but I have found this fact about the Japanese very interesting. Did you know that Japanese often get really red in the face when they start drinking, a phenomenon known as the Asian Flush Response, which has to do with some Japanese (and many other East Asian people) lacking a liver enzyme that breaks down chemicals in alcohol. I hear it's hilarious to see. Some will drink just one highball and suddenly they turns as red as a lobster, although they are not drunk at all. You occasionally see this phenomenon represented as a slight reddening of the face in anime characters when they drink too much, but don't be fooled: I hear the real thing is much more brilliant to behold. A similar phenomenon unique to Asians is the "Mongolian Spot," a blue bruise-like spot visible on the rear ends of Japanese babies until the age of 2.

Sayounara,

ジョエル グリイン

Winter Blizzard of 2011

Just thought I would post some crazy pictures of this crazy winter blizzard we are experiencing here in Homewood, Illinois.

Current weather map at 1:25 am. 10 hours in.

Northbound Picture of Kedzie (2:30 pm)

Southbound Picture of Kedzie (2:30 pm)

Picture taken at the 5th checkout in my locale walmart.

Seriously, 20 to 40 minute checkout times.

Come on people, This storm will only last two days not a week.

Just a few hours ago I drove to my dads work to pick him up because the van would not start. Most of the time I could not see any more then 20 feet in front of me.