Those are eels.
tamabi
26 posts
(Green-Green looking more adult then usual)
(Life is backpacked)
(Eikaiwa. Kimmos middle-finger is wierd. In a nice way)
(Suprise-visit by Nishikawa)
(Inspecting Green-Greens hair (I need a shave))
(Aikawarazu.
…ee-jyan)
Charcoal leftovers from last week equals another grilling session. Yesterday in pictures:
Update:
After some (a few of them hillarious) inquires about the backdrop, let me explain:
we’re not urban explorers. This is simply the club/activity-rooms on campus.
There’s tons of them, and the general tone is that of a festival. Except without the cleaners. And you know what that means to these young hooligans (that includes me)? Yes, that’s right, the occasional Woodstock 99-styled fires accompanied with screaming leaps over them.
Back to the room talk:
From one room there’s a punk-rock group playing, the other houses bongo-drums. Then there’s movies, games and sports, such as the first one below which is for rugby.
I really love this place. It’s dirty, a bit cramped and damp, but you’re always welcome and there’s always something happening.
(fan-tastic times)As previously stated the bbq went down yesterday and it was all pretty great -there was much rejoice. I rejoiced until 6 am and currently update this blog while suffering from overrejoicness. So I’ll keep it short:
(Who’d bring nori (dried seaweed) to a bbq?)
(Right: a waterhose found its way to us. Then everywhere else)
(A new addition to Gyamas Tamabi-designs . That outfit was a hoodie before we got to the Izakaya)
(Out strolling with everyone)Yamanakako is a peaceful place almost by the foot of Mount Fuji. About a 3 hour ride from Tokyo. Turns out that the University owns a lodge there and most kids go at least once during the time at Tamabi.
This weekend it was mine and about 15 of the undergrad, masters- and soon-to-be doctors turn to go. The session was on the design and psychology of everyday things. “Norman-doors”, “The nature of human cognition”, that sort of high-caliber kind of studies.
And then there was beer.
Drinking with ones professor is common here. Have heard of no such thing in Sweden. Maybe Swedes fear a loss of respect for a teacher seeing him/her in the midst of some debauchery. But it makes sense. It’s good for relations.
This hazy but lovely way of communicating is something have absolutely no problems with since day one; I dig.
What I have had second thoughts off was the hotsprings.
See, the lodge at Yamanakako is about a 5 minute ride from the local “onsen” (hotspring). It was a terribly beautiful one out in the open, with the mighty Fuji on display right there from the tub. Of course we had to go.
Before Japan I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown man naked. More less a professor. My professor. I had my doubts about the onsen. 2nd thoughts. Maybe 3rd too.
But I was wrong. It was pretty great sitting in a 41 degrees warm hotspring with him and the others, talking about how great it would be to sip sake while studying design right there in the tub, with Fuji on display. There were discussion on everybody chipping in on a “tamabi-runned minibus” so we could have all our classes in the hotspring. We talked about waterproof laptops and the correct temperature of the bath for us to spend a whole day in without getting overcooked.
All in all a good weekend of studies, with much uncovered and learned.
…Did I just pun?
Coming attractions
Coming Friday I’m throwing a b.b.q. on campus. If you read this, and happen to be in Tokyo, feel free to come over.
Last time I held something it was Mexican-themed. This time it will be in American fashion: hamburgers, hotdogs, Budweiser & Coors. Also Twister.
Speaking of which: after some uncarefull consideration (went to a Karaoke until 6 this morning) a pretty funny idea was born – Outdoor Twister 20 player game. What we will do is print up 5 more sets of Twister mats and spread it all out outside. It’ll be a heap of fun.
…I did it again didn’t I?
Update (24/5):
Rain tomorrow. B.B.Q. next friday instead.
Friday, before hitting the town 12 at night with my former boss for some serious nommunication, there was some less serious such being done at Tamabi. Another “Shinkan”.
Beer showers don’t go about that often at Tamabi. But by that time Shinkan was ongoing some of the guys ‘d just got the word out that they’d been accepted to the biggest ad-agency around. Gyama, doing the thing he does, made sure the celebration was felt. There was much rejoice.
(Casper, with his replacement)What’s with all the goodbyes lately? Caspers bye-bye party. Karaoke afterwards of course. Until 6 am, once again.
Gizmo, the guy taking over Caspers spot at Tamabi, will have a hard time filling his spot. But yesterdays (todays) testdrive vouched for a pretty swell summer-term.
Casper, we all will miss you. Come visit soon.
Update (05/09):
Sorry, “Kimo” and not “Gizmo”. But I will hold on to “Gizmo”. More great.
‘Shinkan’ was okay. Too cold to bring the promised monkeysuit. Bummer.
So, yet another late post. For christmas I served up some tacos, nachos and margeritaz for my fellow Tamabi boys & girls. I also tried to arrange a “puresento koukan”, meaning, I urged everyone to bring a wrapped gift and we’d have a little christmas present exhange. Since only 3 out of 15 got the message I, and many others, had to settle for a 100 yen cigarrete lighter from the secret-santa bag of fun.
In lue of more food-related posts…
Had that presentation of mine this Saturday. Went all right. Spent all night, and morning, on it until the very hour before I were to hold it.
Honestly I am sick of it.
…it’s good stuff though.
We pot-heads had some nabe on Tuesday. To those who doesn’t know what nabe is, it’s any ol’ big pot, usually filled over and over with meat, tofu, veggies, mushrooms and perhaps some fat noodles called udon.
The nabe was over at my friend Tsubasas place, who’s toilet I think (by the way) looks troubled.
Also had some “Kaki”. Which we absolutely had to look up in the dictionary. “Japanese peach” is what I would call a Kaki. Looks like an orange tomato though. Practice makes perfect.
