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!

Fall Foliage

The leaves are turning.

This photo was taken at the university where I teach.

I just think it's pretty.

Fall Foliage

"Gamjagol" Restaurant in Shinjuku

Gamjagol (감자골 in Korean; ガムザゴル in Japanese) is a Korean restuarant that we've been to a number of times to eat gamjatang. It's not far from Seibu-Shinjuku station and Kabukicho (three to five minutes on foot).

Gamjagol has many reminders of the Korean-boom plastered across its walls and windows. All the famous faces of Korea's cross-border cultural infusion can be found on various posters and digital printouts that seem to grow both in variety and the amount of wall space that they cover (the walls of the toilets are now decorated as well!).

According to the photos on the walls, Yomiuri Giants first-baseman Lee Seung-yeop has been to the place at least a couple of times. I'm sure that he agrees that this place has good eats.

We routinely get a bowl of dongdong-ju (a type of milky rice-wine) with our gamjatang (potato and pork stew). The stew boils in front of you on a burner that is built into the center of the table. Like many Korean restaurants in the Shin-Okubo area, Gamjagol does Korean food proud, and the bottomless bowls of side dishes (kimchi!) are enough to fill you up before the main course even arrives.

Gamjagol is on the second floor of the building (only a stone's throw from the Shin-Okubo Don Quijote), and one feature that might take some by surprise is that a menu from the restuarant downstairs also sits on the table.

The restaurant downstairs is a chicken joint, and you can have them deliver a plate of yangnyeom fried chicken to your table on the second floor.

I don't recommend calling Domino's to deliver a pie to your table, but that's kind of the same idea. The people downstairs will bring it right up! We often get a plate of chicken to nibble on while we're waiting for our gamjatang to cook (be sure to stir it occasionally).

The vat of veggies and pork above is how gamjatang looks when it's first delivered to the table. You can eat well and have a couple of drinks for 3,000 to 4,000 yen.

For more pictures of the place click here.

"Gamjagol" Restaurant in Shinjuku