As promised, its time for me to post up some more pictures. I reached 25% of my goal, so I'll put up 30% or so of the pictures I was planning to post. But these are some of my favorite pictures though, so quality over quantity.
Usually, these posts have pictures of something zany, wacky, or just flat-out weird. And while pictures are good for illustrating the things that we're lost for words to describe, I also like pictures because of the moment in time that they capture. Memories may get clouded and fade over time, but a picture lasts for as long as you have it.
So this picture post will just be some random snapshots from my first 3 years here. Nothing featuring sea algae with boners or dogs pointing their anuses at the camera, just scenes from my everyday life. If you are looking for the zaniness, now would be a good time to stop reading. Or, at least skip to the very end or something.
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I arrived in Japan August 2003. School didn't start until September, so that left one whole month before I "officially" became a Japanese school teacher. In that time, I worked at the Board of Education, mostly e-mailing friends about how hot Japan was. But one day, the BOE asked me to go to a Children's Festival our city was having. After all, part of my job was public-relations and interacting with kids, so it made sense.
Unfortunately, they didn't have any specific duties outlined for me, and as I was fresh off the plane (and even better yet, fresh off the graduation stage!) I really had no idea what to do; I spent most of my time finding isolated places to sleep off my jet lag. I did walk around from time to time, and did actually speak to some kids, such as the ones pictured here.
They introduced themselves using perverted names such as "Mr. Cream", "Mr. Condom", and "Mr. Sex"; their English pronunciation was so bad, that I actually had no idea what they were saying, or why they were laughing so hard when I repeated their names. Only when one boy used a dirty name in Japanese did I catch on to what they were doing.
Sadly enough, these boys would go on to be the infamous bastards of the Ghetto School, going from mildly annoying in their first year, to dangerously violent by the time they graduated. The one on my immediate left I don't believe actually finished school at all.
The boy on the far left, however, actually cleaned up his act in the third year, and became a good student. The third year was kind of a mess - a lot of previously good boys had given up on studying and joined the bad boys in not giving a fuck, but this one boy went from bad to good. I really respected him for that, and made sure to help him out whenever I could.
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Me dressed up as Santa Claus for the School of Peace's English club. I don't know how or why this came about, but there I am in a Santa suit.
Yes, the Santa suit was bought in Japan. I can't buy ordinary clothes here but I can find a Santa suit that I can comfortably wear. Go figure. And yes, this is the Santa suit that I was jump-kicked in (was it the same day as the picture? Could have been, don't remember...).
And as this is the English Club at the School of Peace...yes...Ultimate Sweetness is in the picture. I'm not telling which one though.
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Just me hanging out with some Ghetto School boys. The boy in the center is the Original Cherry Boy, the one who ranted about cheating girls, and then who I found later with a radically different appearance, and dating another "dangerous girl" if for no other reason than "she puts out a lot". Ah, are we men doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again?
I like this picture because it captures Cherry Boy before he went all sex-crazed yankee on me.
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No More Homework...
This is one of the sannensei classrooms at the School of Peace. I think I took this picture the last day of class before some vacation - most kids had already gone home, and I just wandered around the school with my camera trying to perserve some memories. Nothing special about this pic, its just an ordinary classroom.
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The Japanese flag that flew outside at the School of Peace. As the teacher's room was on the second floor, and my desk was next to the window, looking to my left gave me a pretty good view of it.
I was at my desk one day staring thoughtlessly out of the window, and as I looked at the flag that's when it hit me - "That's not an American flag. ...That's a Japanese flag. I'm living in Japan!"
...Ok, yeah, no duh, right? You'd think the millions of Japanese people walking around, lack of crime, abundance of mayonaisse as a condiment, and overall general insanity would have tipped me off sooner than that, right? Its hard to explain, but while I knew I'd packed up my entire life to go live in a foreign country, it never really hit me until then. When one arrives here, we go through a flurry of activity - the first year is mostly just fun, as we experience all sorts of new things for the first time, meet new people, and are generally just overwhelmed by how different things are. We start to settle in during the second year, and here is where many people become very negative about the country and/or people. I'd gone through the roller coaster of emotions, and sitting there that day it just hit me - I'm not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
And man, that was a whole 4 years ago now.
I can only wonder how living here so long has fucked me up. Like, when I go back to America, am I going to have a day where I see something blatantly American and think "Wow...I'm not in Japan anymore!"
...I'm hoping that whatever that trigger is, it involves a nice pair of D-cup breasts in some way or another.
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A class of ninensei at Watson's school. I'd told them to go line up for a picture, and they did what preteen girls and boys do best - neatly segregrate themselves by sex, leaving a fairly impressive gulf in the center. Because, y'know, girls have cooties and boys are yucky and stuff.
I have to point out that this is Watson's school...because had it been the Ghetto School, we probably might not have been able to separate the boys and girls long enough to take a picture.
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Some kids outside engaging in afterschool clubs. I like this picture, because to the far left and far right are perfect examples of how the teachers instructed the clubs - "yeah yeah, do whatever, I'm just gonna chill out here and wish I could go home."
Maybe it would have been better if they'd, I dunno, let the teachers pick the clubs they had to supervise, rather than assigning them by Quija board or whatever random-as-fuck selection process they used. More often than not, the teacher had no idea about the sport they'd suddenly become responsible for teaching to a group of 10-20 kids.
The notable exception is, of course, Noisy Fucker. I don't know if he even liked tennis, but God forbid he pass up a chance to talk, into a bullhorn much less! Talking to students, I found that most women (girl students and teachers alike) passionately disliked him...but the boys loved him. Its the whole "we're getting our asses kicked...but we love it!" Japanese mentality thing. I don't understand it, never will.
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A sneak-peek at the teacher's room of Watson's school. My desk was at the front, which is in the background of the picture. My chair has a backpack in it, and is partially obsecured by the female teacher with pigtails's head.
If you may recall, I hated that desk. Being up-front-and-center made it impossible to sleep, and I spent almost my entire time next to Noisy Fucker. For that reason, if possible I usually left my desk and wandered around the school. Which is usually when I caught the students at their most candid moments, so I guess some good came from it.
In the background and to the far left is the secretary teacher, who somehow managed to forget every freakin' week that I was allergic to fish. Every week. I mean, I could understand forgetting a few times, or maybe over the course of a few months or something...but I worked there for three years.
So glad she never invited me out for dinner or anything like that.
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This is one of my favorite pictures. The guy in the center on the bench all by himself is one of my good friends. Gaijin, in case you can't tell by the pic. So, the pic can be highly symbolic of the isolation and lonliness that we Gaijin can feel at times here in Japan. That, or LOLZ GAIJIN PERIMITER HAHA!!11
Also, his entire posture just screams out "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MEEEEEEE?"
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Okay, maybe just a little wackiness to close off the post.
The following screens are taken from my new favorite game, Street Fighter IV. They have not been altered in any way - these poses/faces actually happen in-game. When playing, you wouldn't really notice it, but when captured in a photo...well...see for yourself.
http://kotaku.com/photogallery/streetfighterivdlc/1006772808?viewSize=thumb1280x1280
This would win the "Greatest Facial Expression Ever" award...
I can't stop laughing at it.
I showed it to my wife, who not only found it as humorous as I did, but said "It looks like his face is saying "Huh? Is it in yet?"" ...And that's why I married her, folks. A woman without a good sense of humor is just not worth my time, and my wife is golden.
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As always, a big thank you to everyone who donated anything at all. Its been very helpful in helping me get back on my feet during a rough transistion period.
For donations, please Paypal to azrael@outpostnine.com
Nice! The first photo reveals how much larger you are than those bastards trying kancho you,and to your credit, you opted not to just bitchslap 'em through the wall--can't say I'd have made that choice, but there you go!
Ultimate Sweetness is 2nd from the right, holding the white envelope.
Ultimate Sweetness has to be either the second from the right or the second from the left... I think.
Dude, those kids in the Just Hangin' Out photo look like hired killers
Holy crap, that's a plush train car...
My guess: second from the right.
Wow, You should do this more often.
Although you aren't covering anything weird, these relatively normal posts are quite enjoyable too.
Just keep the pictures coming, they are fun to watch as they don't show anything explicit but just the 'everyday' life in Japan, through the eyes of an ALT.
Well, i remember before for the wedding photo thing i donated fifty bucks, and it got returned to me =O So you can't say some of us didn't try to donate.
Ultimate Sweetness - second from the right. Called it!
Az,
As always you posts never fail to make me laugh. As a current JET teacher I really wonder some days if it's not something in the water.
Alright Az, I hate to say this and I know this comment probably won't go through but.. I really don't like this whole paying for content thing you're doing lately. I get that you really need the money at the moment and this site must eat up a fair little chunk of your time, but I feel like you should be doing it simply for the love of doing it, not for some monetary gain... If you don't feel like working on the site at the moment (or at all anymore for that matter) then that's cool, you're not obliged to do this for us at all, but when you're asking for money in exchange for content it kinda feels like you're doing it begrudgedly and that really shouldn't be the case.
If you wanna ask for donations that's cool but you should be asking people to do it just because they care, not making them do it through promises of more content, and I'm sure that if you did a fair few of those of us who are well off enough to be able to donate would happily do so.
I do have a lot of respect for you and I am grateful for all the quality entertainment you've provided us with over the years, but I hope you're only doing this because you really are that desperate at the moment and you'll stop once you're back on your feet financially. How's the job hunting going anyway? I genuinely do wish you the best with that and everything else that's going on in your life at the moment... Peace.
"Sweetness is in the picture. I'm not telling which one though."
Did you not post a photo of her in your old web site ? She is the second from right, isn't she ?
I don't think you need to say which one is Ultimate Sweetness. It looks fairly obvious to me. She's on the far right, second one in.
Thanks for sharing those pictures! You can almost feel the heart warming memories...
Those pics of streetfighter at the end. Epic. ROFL
I think Ultimate Sweetness is 2nd from right!
These are some amazing pictures, Az. Thanks a lot more posting them! I fear that i'd forgotten to donate to you, and will get to it as soon as I can. Everytime I read entries on here, I often get an image in my head. But photos certainly skew them a bit now! Perhaps more photos in the future? That would be most awesome.
Sweetness is clearly the second one from the right. You would've mentioned it if she wore glasses (which rules out half the girls... welcome to Japan, I suppose?)
Speaking of pictures, I saw this Street Fighter one and thought you might like it.
http://orioto.deviantart.com/art/Break-111715622
Once again you made me lol and look foolish. Ah well, forget about it. The more my co-workers wonder if I'm realy crazy the more that means they won't bother me so much.
Re: Ho Ho Ho
I may not know which one is "Ultimate Sweetness," but I know which one she isn't. The one second from the right is my daughter's evil twin. Considering how sweet my daughter is the one second from the right must be the evil one.
(She can't be the one on the far right either, she's the evil twin of my daughter's friend.)
This picture was spooky! I've met the twin of all but one of the girls pictured.
wow Az, those pictures actually helpped to put things into perspective of the school layout and how everything looked. Somewhere in my head I thought it might be stuck close to a run down dusty school like what I'm used to in California (Sac-Town if you know the reference).
Ultimate Sweetness must be the 2nd girl on the right (Azrael's left)
Really sweet smile....
more! more!
Yeah I'm pretty sure I know who Ultimate Sweetness is =P
haha yeah I have to agree with the 20 or so people who beat me to it...Ultimate Sweetness absolutely has got to be the 2nd from the right. Especially since I asked myself the question "Who would I want to kidnap?" and the answer became immediately obvious...and I'm a chick, we're not really known for kidnapping young girls! lawl. I have to say I think your picture posts are always my favorites.
Happy Valentine's Day! ^_^
Cherry Boy looks like he'd become a hottie in a few years... I'm not a rapist, I swear! But that pic is from a couple of years ago, right? So that would make him... 18 or 19? Haha. Do you still see him and the other guys?
Yeah, I have to agree with everyone that the second to the right girl is Ultimate Sweetness.
Thanks for the pictures! I love it when new things pop up here!
I hope the donation I sent helps! Best wishes, Az! And I really enjoy all the photos you posted, and pictures seem to really gives it an extra push into being more immersive!
I'm not gonna lie...cherry boy is kinda hot
Re: No Stars and Stripes
Yes! I had the same thing happen to me. Years ago when I was a teenager, my father managed to arrange a family vacation to Russia by hooking up with a university program that was primarily intended for Russian studies students, but would also allow members of the public at large to join if space was available. This was a camping road trip back in the days of the USSR. We picked up rented VW campers in Amsterdam and drove to the USSR via Germany and Czechoslovakia, and visited cities such as Kiev, Moscow, and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).
Never mind all the people speaking Russian, the signs using the Cyrillic alphabet, the Intourist guide who traveled with our group as part of the visa requirement (to keep an eye on us foreigners), it was the sight of the Hammer and Sickle flapping in the breeze at one of the camp grounds that really drove the point home for me.
Az... I just wanted to say... you look almost like me. Except I'm chubbier, and probably have a slightly lighter complexion.
Is one of those Ghetto School idiots the dumbass who shaved cornrows into his head? Or was he part of a different bastard group? Regardless, I do get a hip hop vibe from those guys. Damn MTV.
It doesn't matter who is Sweetness and who isn't. ALL of those girls are just so cyoooote. Just looking at the picture makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. And Az, even if your art depiction of Santa is rabid, anorexic, and french, you sir, make an awesome Santa. I just....wanna give you a hug.
Oh man, thats Cherry Boy? THE Cherry Boy? Epic win.
Whats that other flag in the picture? Regional flag? School flag? I'd like some enlightment please (I'm nosy. Sue me).
Ah, the age before we fully understand how awesome the opposite sex really is. I like the two boys in the backrow that are fighting. Don't know why, just do. I also like how practically every girl is laughing about someone (probably the guys).
Thats a really bizzare sport...warm up...thing going on. Though granted I have always majorly sucked at sports, so this might just be a sport I do know, but an aspect of it I'm not familliar with. Gotta love the "meh" aspect of the teachers in charge. If I was those students, I'd always be majorly pissed that the teacher just stands around bored while we have to do stuff.
So, this is a teachers room. Sorry, its just always been one of those life mysteries. Unless your a teacher. It was always the one room that was a big unknown for me. The one aspect of school like I was never familliar with. Detention, on the other hand (IMO it was never as bad as people make it out to be).... Its a lot more cramped then I expected.
Actually, I couldn't really tell that he's a gaijin. Probably because his heads all ducked down (I bet sleeping!) and his hair colour is, MAYBE, only a shade lighter then everyone elses. It could be the lighting of course.
And dammit Az! Those Street Fighter pictures made me laugh so hard I had to bury my face in a pillow to keep from waking everyone up.
It's such a pity that the perverted CherryBoy happens to be the cutest of the bunch (of the 3, I mean)... Thank God, I'm still 21 which makes me still able to legally ogle and drool over this CherryBoy (I think :P)
is it me or are Japanese people extremely photogenic?
There are two girls in the picture that in my opinion could be Ultimate Sweetness. The first I agree with everyone else second from the right. The second is the second girl from the left. She looks really sweet too. ^.^
Ultimate Sweetness is second from the right for sure. I don't know exactly how to put it. It's...different? From the rest of the picture. Like it doesn't fit/is out of place? Like Shirley Temple nestled in with with a group of orphans.
That probably sounds grossly unflattering to the others. Not quite what I meant. I can't think to describe it some other way, so that analogy will have to suffice.
You know, let's call it the "aaaw" factor. I don't even like Shirley Temple.
I third the cherry boy must be hot now sentiments, and fifty-third the ultimate sweetness must be either the second from the right or left sentiments.
Second girl from the right is already making me make ridiculous high pitched 'awsocute' noises, so I'm guessing that's Ultimate Sweetness right there.
I couldn't help but laugh at the after school clubs picture. It cound not be any more obvious that they just want to go home or die, whichever comes first.
I was only in China for a month, but that turning point when I came back to the U.S. was when I was on my way to a waterpark. I felt dwarfed by all the giant vehicles. I didn't see any giant trucks or SUVs the entire month of China. D;
Oh, one thing I completely forgot - Ms. Butterfly is also in the "Ho Ho Ho" picture.
Ok shena, that makes me feel a little better since I'm 22, haha.
Az, you should put up a pic with Ms. Bigheaded Boyfriend too! And Ms. Americanized! You don't even have to reveal who they are... post an enkai group pic or something.
By the way, did you ever have any drunken Kyoto-senseis to worry about?
Man, Azrael looks like such a dork =P
Why is this ex-gay porn star a huge hit in Japan?
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/15/american-gay-pr0n-st.html
Okay, I think we've figured out which one is Ultimate Sweetness in that picture...but which one is Az?
Yo Az-man, have you seen this yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1cuEy82PeQ
I knew that Ultimate Sweetness was that girl! She's the only one that looks like it!
Cherry Boy is hot?..... Nice guys finish last, right?
I am going to have to go for the first that is too spaces from the right as U S. The one next to the person that everybody else thinks it is.
The personality you described seems like the kind of girl that isn't embarrased easilly and is alway happy. The girl everyone else is pointing out looks extremely embarassed in the picture so I doubt it her.
Its got to be one of the 2 in the middle and the one of the left in the middle seems far to menacing to be it.
Hahahahaha!
Dude I showed that one of the teacher being like "yeah yeah, do whatever, I'm just gonna chill out here and wish I could go home." paragraph to one of the JET's at my school and she laughed her ass off dude.
Man, I really like how you started sharring pictures with us. Your site kicks ass and please don't stop writing >.< !!!!