Good people

A profile on Takao, one of the coolest cats in Tokushima and proprieter of one of my favorite spots in the city, YRG Cafe.

The Unlikely Restaurateur

By Claire Tanaka

Just three years into his first job, as an editor at one of Tokushima City’s vibrant local entertainment magazines, Takao Yamasaki wound up in the hospital from exhaustion and lack of proper nutrition. Instead of popping a multivitamin, downing another energy drink, and getting back to the desk, he decided to abandon his fledgling media career and go into the restaurant business, providing nutritionally balanced meals for his overworked and underfed friends and colleagues. The YRG Café, named for a nutritional concept taught to children about eating something yellow (carbohydrates), something red (protein), and something green (vegetables) with each meal to ensure a balanced diet, has been running for six years now with this unlikely restaurateur at its helm.

Read the whole article here.

Paranormal decision making

I did something last night that I’ve never done before in my life – I turned off a scary movie. The film in question? Paranormal Activity. It freaked me out so much, in fact, that I went to bed wondering if I’d make it through the night without anything weird happening.

What did happen was that I woke up at 6 a.m. and watched Brett Favre hit the self-destruct button on yet another Super Bowl run, which is about about as “normal” as things get. Why, you might ask, would a quarterback throw across his body into traffic with time winding down and his team tied and on the outside border of field goal range? Well, because it’s Brett Favre, and because despite how brilliantly the 40-year-old played this year or how admirably he bounced back from hit after hit in last night’s game, this is what he’s become in January.

An overtime toss-up to Javon Walker against the Eagles in 2004. Another overtime pick, this time to Corey Webster, to end the NFC Championship in 2008. And now this:



I’ve been conflicted about my feelings for Favre all year. As much as I hated watching him pick apart the Packers in two games this season, it was difficult for me to just set aside what he did for Green Bay for so long and the fond memories I have of watching him play. And this morning, when I stumbled out of bed and hit play on my tape, I sincerely wanted him to win. Not anymore. There may never be a second Super Bowl victory for Brett Favre, but at this point I just don’t care anymore. I can’t.

Sorry Brett. You may not have lost this one on your own, but you certainly had it in your hands. Again.

Promo

courtesy of the lovely Emily Denny

Tuesday check-in

I haven't gone away completely, but after a little self-imposed vacation from productivity I can report that all's well on this side of the pond. How well? Well, the first four rehearsals for The Lion King have gone as well as any I can remember and my biggest challenges this week are tracking down the Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum and figuring out how to make mulled wine. Of course, I can't expect things to carry on so low key for long, but you can believe I'll enjoy it as long as possible.

The year in pictures

Back in Japan with my compass pointed north, but never too busy for a little reflection. Here are some of my favorite snaps from the past twelve months. Happy New Year!


Waimea Bay, January


Coldplay in Kobe, February


shouting contest in Wakayama, March


Koya-san, March


Okinawa, April


touch rugby tournament, May


open mic in Naruto, July


English camp, August


Awa Odori, August


Bali, September


Halloween in Tokushima, October


Fushimi Inari Shrine, November

"10 things": #1 - Coming home

It's been a fruitful and unforgettable two and a half years in Japan, but as I prepare to head back to Tokushima after a brief trip back home on Sunday, my mind is already partially turned toward my return in July. Why am I leaving? A number of reasons, but it mostly boils down to one word: fulfillment. That, and because of the abundance of fish.

So where to next? My life in the grand non-current sense is as hazy as ever right now, but I'm thinking I may try my hand at journalism. Whether that be in New York or Marakkech or Milwaukee remains to be seen, but I do know this: wherever I move, it will be with purpose. I'm not typically one for quotes, but acknowledging both the good fortune I've had in my travels as well as the immediacy of the now, I'll begin 2010 by heeding the words of St. Augustine:

Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty billows of the sea, the long course of rivers, the vast compass of the ocean, and the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass themselves by.

Simply put: no wasted motion. I may only be 25, but I've learned enough to know that whatever pursuits may follow my return should hit as close to an authentic version of "me" as possible. And so I'm moving, yes, but with guidelines - never backwards, frequently looking sideways, and always with an eye inward. This may be the year I figure out what I'm supposed to do and it may not, but either way I hope it will be a time to remember.