strings. Any musician out there knows that it's not easy to sing and play an instrument at the same time. That aspect of her performance impressed me greatly. I skanked my heart out during the first few songs along with the rest of the crowd, (skanking is a ska dance that I compare to a somewhat updated cancan. Of course, this is my personal definition, not the official one.) However, my skanking ended when I slipped on a crushed Gatorade bottle and twisted my ankle. I was pulled up and helped over to the side by two very nice guys that were near me. Though I was grateful for their help, I was in horrible pain. I limped over to the last set we saw that evening, Angels and Airwaves. This was the only set of the day that I did not enjoy. I am a big Blink-182 fan, so the fact that Tom Delonge is in another band that falls by the wayside when compared to the musical chemistry that Blink-182 had irked me to say the least. However, I tried to put that aside and listen to the music objectively. I came to the same conclusion. There is hardly any distinction between one song and the next and their stage presence was barely existent. On top of that, it was difficult to pay attention when stupid guys and girls were crowdsurfing from all different directions. You would be watching peacefully one moment and a foot would be in your face the next. The worst part was when a young guy leapt into the air, did a triple somersault, and landed on me. It would have been epic if he hadn’t made my pinky bend in a really strange direction. With my foot also not being in such great shape, I 32 ISSUE 1 2008
was not a happy camper. After their set was over, we piled into our friend's car and drove to McDonald's, where we stuffed our faces and recalled the highlights of the day. There were many, and it was definitely a fun experience. I can't wait till next summer. Warped '09, baby! 3 Friends. 3 Regions. 1 Japan. OSAKA meaning in Shintoism. The pedestrian walkway was in fact crowded with nonhumans, and the deer almost violently chased any tourist who decided to buy rice crackers; the deer actually cried when the food ran out. In Nara, a small festival and a huge extravagant light show was taking place while I was there. The festival offered tons of food and a memorable goldfish catching stand for fun. It was a good way to spend about an hour after the light show. On return to Osaka with three goldfish (which died the next day from overheating), I got lost in the train station. I then returned to watch the Olympics from the Japanese point of view. They were as obsessed with the swimmer Kitajima Kousuke as much as Americans were with Michael Phelps. Sports, of course, are taken very seriously, as they accompany food and drink. The people in Osaka, of course, just like in New York and in the rest of the world, come in a variety of personalities. The common stereotype of noisy and hungry is not at all true of everyone. Perhaps Osaka natives have a different lifestyle since eating until you drop isn’t the most common ethnic-activity here in New York. However, the people I met,
even the local Yakitori chef and store salespeople were intensely friendly. Ignoring the language barrier, I had one of the best two weeks of my life. I know it wouldn’t have been the same had I gone anywhere else. 3 Friends. 3 Regions. 1 Japan. OKINAWA have ever tasted in my life. Just imagine a really bitter thing and multiply it by 100. Okinawa also originated the purple sweet potato, called beni-imo, which is constantly incorporated into their specialty pastries; they are really pretty, delicious, and healthy. By far the weirdest traditional thing I saw, however, was their Sake. It priced about $100 per bottle, and had dead poisonous snakes called habu on the bottom, with fangs and all! Scary stuff, I tell you. When I went to Japan, I saw super skinny and “groomed” boys, made friends with innocent hardworking failing students, attended over packed high school baseball games, met some of the sweetest most amazing people, swam in beaches with the most gorgeous blue, clear-watered oceans I have ever seen, went to the second largest aquarium in the world, ate amazing food, and gained so much Okinawan Pride. I would definitely recommend that people come here for vacation. It’s a beautiful place! 3 Friends. 3 Regions. 1 Japan. TOKYO new motion picture. It is about a fish who falls in love with a little boy. It sounds a little like The Little Mermaid, huh? The song for the movie had a huge outburst in popularity throughout Japan.
My personal favorite Japanese fad is a new animated character, “Kapibarasan.” This is a character based on a real-life animal called the capybara. Stuffed animals and toys of this character are all over Japan. One of my favorite things about Japan is the snacks. This summer, I ate many times at a store called “Mister Donuts.” It has the most delicious donuts ever, and I snacked on a candy called “Pure.” Mister Donuts has a very famous donut called “Pon de Ring” which is so popular that almost 10,000 are sold a day. This could also be known as a mochi donut because of its softness. “Pure” is a gummy type candy with many different flavors, including grape, grapefruit, lemon, green apple, pineapple, and many others depending on the season. I always had a pack of these gummies in my bag. The Japanese are well known for their love for Walt Disney. In Chiba, they have two Disney theme parks: Disney Land and Disney Sea. This summer, I went to both. It’s really amazing how much fun you can have at a children’s theme park. With exhilarating attractions such as Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, The Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Indiana Jones Ride, and many others, you are left exhausted at the end of the day. I personally like Disney Sea more than Disney Land. Disney Land has Cinderella’s castle and stunning shows, but Disney Sea is built for people who want to have adventures. Disney Sea is really a dream land where you look one way and you see gondolas, and then you look the other way and see a huge moun-
tain with steam coming out of it. Also, because it’s Disney Sea, there are many water related sections and rides. It’s the perfect place to go during the hot summer to make so many magical memories. Oh, and one more thing: I want to add on to how remarkable the Japanese metro system is. First off, it’s unbelievable how clean the platforms are, and even inside the train. It’s very rare to spot a can rolling around with spilled soda all over the floor, whereas here in New York, that’s an everyday scene. Inside each car, there are two mini t.v.s at every single door, one telling you where you are, what station is next, and all the stations and the number of minutes it will take to get to each station. The other t.v. shows some commercials, and sometimes a one-point English lesson. These are pretty amusing to watch when you have nothing to do in the train. This is just one of the trains. Some trains don’t have these, but it’s really easy to tell where you are and where you will be in every train. What I find the most incredible about the Japanese metro system is the “PASMO.” You fill this card up with money (just like the metrocard), and when you go through the turnstile, you place it on a platform that makes a “beep” sound, and you go through. Sounds pretty normal, huh? But the thing about the PASMO is that you can keep it in your wallet or anywhere that’s easiest for you, and you just put your wallet or your card case to the censor and it’ll let you right through. So you don’t have to keep taking it out every time you want to ride the train. Another
amazing thing is, you can use it to buy things. Inside the station, there are vending machines with the same censor at the turnstile. You just put your PASMO to the censor and choose the drink you want, and you get it! It is simple as that. You can also use it at certain combinis (short for convenience stores, and these stores are REALLY convenient), so the PASMO basically works as a credit card as well. So many things about Japan are amazing. When I came back to New York, I realized and appreciated the greatness of Japan’s culture and technology. This summer, I was able to make fantastic memories. I definitely recommend everybody visit Tokyo when they can.
ISSUE 1 2008
33