Tokyo Yogurt Bird Update

Tokyo has allowed three of its top players to walk.

Greisinger, the winningest pitcher in the central league this season, was not re-signed.

Ramirez was also released by the Swallows. You will remember that Ramirez easily outclassed the CL MVP (Yomiuri's Ogasawara) this season, and would have easily won that honor had his team not been so utterly crap.

Number two in the rotation, Kazuhisa Ishii, walked on out to Saitama to join the Seibu Lions. He'll serve as a nice one-two punch with Wakui out there. We snagged Seibu's pitching coach, but Mr. Araki is going to have his work cut out for him at Jingu.

I wouldn't mind the personnel losses so much if I knew that the cash saved by not paying those three extra huge contracts would be reinvested in the team (like the farm team, for instance), but the front office is all but guaranteed to pocket it.

Tokyo Yogurt Bird Update

Poop Boot

Stepped in dookie while out trekking around in Kanagawa, so this boot wasn't allowed in the car on the way back to Tokyo.

Poop Boot

Sites I Like

Here are a few websites/blogs that I have been paying a lot of attention to recently.

I usually only plug charities that I like, as well as Japan-related sites such as TPR and JEN, but I thought I'd add a bit of variety this time and highlight a couple other sites that don't fall within those genres.

You probably already know that I'm very fond of Korea, and I spend a lot of time
reading through posts over at The Marmot's Hole. The whole spectrum of life in Korea gets covered over there, so it's definitely worth a visit every now and again.

Re-Entry Japan is a new addition to the blogroll and is a site that shines a spotlight on the new practice of treating long-term residents in Japan like criminals (fingerprinting). Wait, please remind me once again why I'm paying taxes?

65-years-old and still storming around Mt. Everest. That's my friend Mr. Ota who lives just down the Seibu line from here. He has posted a treasure-trove of beautiful photos from his travels, and I'm sure that the collection will grow and grow because he has more trips in the works. The site is primarily in Japanese, but it's quite easy to navigate just by clicking. I'm not nearly as rugged as he is, but looking at those photos makes me want to head to Nepal. Tomorrow!

And this site is just plain fun (thanks for the heads up, RFD!).

Nothing I say is ever original, so now you know where I steal stuff from. Enjoy!

Sites I Like

Thanksgiving 2007

Garrett's contribution to the discussion.

The damage.

Post-dinner eyebrow-raising competition.

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving 2007: it got a little wacky

The tiara on Adam.

Dave's rendition.

Kel's version.

Thanksgiving 2007: it got a little wacky

Difficult Storefront Decisions

What's better than one plastic awning above the entrance to your clinic?

Why, two awnings, of course!

(photos taken near Kami-Shakujii station)

Difficult Storefront Decisions

iPod Pricing

I found this old receipt while cleaning.

It's from April of 2004 when I got my first iPod.

The reason why I'm posting it here is because of the price (sorry if it's hard to read).

A 40GB iPod (3rd Generation?) cost 55,440 yen back then!

Throw in the dock connector and the total is 57, 960 yen ($531 according to the current exchange rate).

I'm glad that I forked over the extra cash for the iPod protection plan because last April I was able to trade in my original iPod and get a new one for free. The replacement is now semi-permanently attached to the stereo in the living room.

In September I upgraded to an 80GB iPod Classic. If memory serves, it cost me 29,800 yen ($273).

Funny how that works.

At this rate, in April of 2010 the price of a 160GB iPod, which will probably be the size of the current Nano by then, should be around 16,000 yen ($147).

iPod Pricing

Terrorists, Foreigners are One and the Same...Oh My!

If you arrived in Japan today, then you were one of the first to get fingerprinted and photographed just before shuffling off to collect your bags. Yes, Japan has gone back in time and brought back the xeonphobia of yore in an unexplained and ill-advised attempt to prevent terrorism non-Japanese from re-entering the country after being kicked out for overstaying their visas.

Japan Economy News has a good discussion going on this very topic, so if this issue affects you or someone you know, then please head on over and check it out.

Hey, I have an idea. If they're going to treat us like tourists, then maybe we should pay taxes like tourists!

Just a thought.

Terrorists, Foreigners are One and the Same...Oh My!