Tanabata, the Zutazutaz, Eito Rangers, and Rurouni Kenshin

Today, I went to see　るろうに剣心　(Rurouni Kenshin) with 佐藤健　(Takeru Satou), a movie based on a manga about a swordsman that takes place somewhere right at the end of the Edo Jidai, beginning of the Meiji Jidai.

While it absolutely looked like an amazing movie, I'll admit that my main reason for wanting to see it was Satou Takeru - I totally love him!

I'm so glad he was playing Rurouni, though, because the movie was absolutely AMAZING! It was action-packed but heart-warming, and I laughed, cried, and cringed the whole way through. If this movie ever makes it to America (or Canada or Europe or wherever) - highly recommended!

Now, let's go back in time a little bit to before I hung out with MikeyG in Tokyo. Two days before I left, I hopped on a train and met up with Rachael in Ichinomiya for the Ichinomiya Tanabata Matsuri.

Basically, it's a star festival celebrating the stars Vega and Altair - star-crossed lovers separated by the milky way, doomed to only meet once a year (on the seventh day of the seventh month).

The man and woman on each side were constantly turning but never looking at each other - I can't help but wonder if they did eventually meet, but we didn't stay long enough to check it out.

I'd been wanting to check out a Tanabata Matsuri since arriving in Japan but had just somehow never found the time. I heard the Ichinomiya one was one of the biggest in the area, so I really wanted to go. But what really drove us there was that alfabeto was playing the matsuri.

I've written quite a bit about alfabeto in the past, as at this point I've seen them more times than I can count. They of course put on an absolutely amazing show that totally made the festival worth it. They were up on a real stage, they seemed totally together, and they absolutely rock!

While we were there, we saw Darth Vader!

We also talked quite a bit to alfabeto's manager guy, who suggested that, if I like punk, I would like another band that he manages called the Zutazutaz.

They just so happened to be playing a free concert the next day at another festival, so I headed over to check them out.

Manager dude was right, and I absolutely LOVED them. I feel somewhat disloyal saying this, but I actually preferred them to alfabeto.

The singer was absolutely nutso, jumping and falling around like a crazy person. He even had a bag of beer that he passed out to everyone (and for a moment I thought he was even going to give some to the children) so that we could all kanpai (cheers) together.

When it was over, I couldn't help myself, and I asked if he was drunk, but apparently, he's just crazy. Totally loved it!

After the concert, I met up with some friends to go see Eito Rangers, the new Kanjani8 hero movie, about a future world where your whole life is decided by a test you have to take at the age of 6.

Needless to say, I LOVED it! Possibly the best hero movie I've ever seen! :-) The pseudo dystopian future was, in my mind, AMAZINGLY well played. And they totally played up the members (of kanjani8) strengths and weaknesses perfectly. Love!

I don't get to go to movies a lot here in japan, as they are ridiculously expensive, but I'm happy to say that I feel like I've picked well.

And that's all for this time, folks! 以上です。

A Change of Color

So, I just had my interview for the job in Japan with Westgate. I was SO nervous about it last night that I think that I was mean to Guillaume. Oooops! Especially since he thought up some great questions to help me prepare. Quite a few of which I was actually asked today. Which means that, technically, I was well prepared.
I do hope it went well, but honestly, I have NO IDEA!!!!!!!! There were times when I thought she was totally liking my responses and then others when I thought she was totally NOT into what I was saying at all. Oh well. She said I should have a response by the end of July, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Although I gather that the end of July response will be to tell me that they want me to come in September, which I'm just not gonna do.

Okay, now on to other things.

TODAY is hair dying day! YAY!
Now, I am going to go exercise and then die my hair and then post the BEFORE and AFTER pictures of my hair. Hopefully the dying will go well, and it will be beautiful!

This is the BEFORE picture of my hair

Notice how it's all brown with a little blond. The blond is what I'm going for. Now, to dye the hair!!!!



These are the AFTER pictures


Okay, so it didn't quite go as well as I had hoped for. Sure, the blond is pink, but it's a sort of washed out pink. I mean, seriously, it looks like it's already fading. Maybe sometime later this week I will try again to redye just the blond parts. It's cool because in the sun my hair sort of gleams with a pink undertone.

Looking at these pictures is scary, though. I can't help but notice how much older than my years I look because of the ridiculous dark circles under my eyes.

So yesterday, I saw one of the WORST movies that I have ever in my life seen. It's called Sheitan (which is the Arab word for Satan, which is what it is called in English), and I absolutely do NOT recommend it to anyone. I give it a whopping 0 STARS! Seriously, it's even worse than Babel was. And all of the critics that I keep reading about it keeping talking about how hilarious and horrifying it was. I just don't get it. It was SO DUMB that I don't understand how anyone could have laughed even once in the entire movie. All of the characters were lame, and never once did I feel horrified or even remotely afraid. DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!!!! I'm not kidding.

Oh, and don't forget to check out . I haven't posted a lot yet, but for the time being, I am really enjoying it!