I was greeted by a man fully naked, and with his mast at full staff

Besides the obvious of this news article taken from http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp I love the way they traslate the japanese to english. They really broke ouy the idiom/slang dictionary for this one.
Long-suffering love hotel employees dread spring's crazy couple season
From exhibitionists flaunting everything they've got for security cameras to amorous pairs inviting cleaning ladies to take part in a menage a trois, spring always sees a rapid increase in bakkapuru -- stupid couples -- at Japan's myriad love hotels, love hotel receptionists tell Shukan Jitsuwa (4/20).
"The period from the end of March until April is the busiest time of the year for love hotel employees. I suppose the warmer weather makes everybody hornier. And there're lots of different events going on. Students have their graduation ceremonies, companies have parties to welcome new staff and see off leaving employees, so many people come into the love hotels once all that stuff is over. The atmosphere is totally different to normal," Saori Mizutani, a 34-year-old receptionist at a love hotel in Tokyo's Ikebukuro, tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "I suppose people are feeling liberated. For some reason, there are loads of couples who tend to cause trouble at this time. Take the stark naked woman who suddenly appeared in front of a security camera just the other day. I went to tell her off and discovered she'd been bound with her hands behind her back. Apparently, she'd been doing a bit of exhibitionism with her boyfriend."
Spring is also graduation season and holidaying college students use the time to sow their wild oats.
"After some university students have left a room it takes us twice us long to clean up as it normally does. I don't know whether they drink in bed or what, but the sheets are dripping wet, and for some reason the toilets are always blocked," the cleaner at a love hotel in Tokyo's Ueno district says, adding that she regularly deals with the mess caused by all sorts of bodily fluids as well as foul-smelling substances and spew. "I have no idea what they must be doing in here to leave the rooms in such a filthy state."
Some love hotel employees have to deal with somewhat more bizarre requests, like those made when a young man in his 20s brought in a woman who appeared to be his boss and was probably twice his age.
"It kinda looked like the young guy was being dragged in, but he wasn't doing anything to stop it. That piqued my interest and I kept my eye on them. After they'd been in the room for an hour, we got a call from the woman saying that she'd run out of condoms and wanted more. I got another girl to take a couple of condoms up to her. Then, about an hour later, we got another call from the same woman with the same request," Mizutani says, adding that when the second order came through, she decided to deliver the prophylactics herself. "The older woman answered the door with a huge grin on her face. I suppose it must be because I'm the same generation as the woman, but she turned to me and said, 'The young one are the best, eh?' While I gave a polite chuckle, I peeped into the room behind her and saw the handsome young buck spread-eagled on the bed with his wrists and ankles tied to the bedposts. I thought she was a bit cruel, but at the same time, I was a bit jealous of her."
Some love hotel employees say spring often sees the hard word put on them.
"There was this one time when I went to deliver some food a couple had ordered and was greeted by the man, fully naked, and with his mast at full staff. When he noticed that I was embarrassingly staring at him, he turned around and asked me if I wanted to join in with him and his girlfriend," an incredulous Mizutani tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "I could see his fully naked girlfriend behind him. She just stared at me and giggled. Really, gimme a break."

flea markets

I love fleamarkets. I have since I was little. I live for digging thru other peoples junk on the hopes of finding that 'something" to justify waking up at the crack of dawn on my sundays. In japan they have flea markets but thru poor translation or just plain misunderstanding they are called "free markets". and they are about the same here as at home but they are missing the things that "fell off of a truck" goods and the loud latino music in the background. there is one small difference tho...haggling. I don't understand it. Well... here's an example that has happened to me or I have over heard while I was digging. It goes something like this:
(translated from japanese)
customer: how much is this?
seller: this?(carefully looking at the item like he's nver seen it before) It's expensive
cust: hmm...how much?
seller: it's really expensive
cust: ok how much?
seller: 300$
cust: wow! that is expensive!
seller: isn't it?! (said in such a way that he too is shocked and surprized how much it costs)
customer walks a way.

some "cute" kids

some of the kids i'm forced to teach. becuase of them i've been sick for 3 months. what awful little creatures

high culture

taken outside hachimangu temple in kamakura.

JUST LIVING THE STEREOTYPE

THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT FOR YEARS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WASH AWAY THE IMAGE OF THE JAPANESE MALE AS A SEX MINDED PERVERT. SO FAR THIER HARD EARN TIME HASN'T GONE TO WASTE. THIS WAS TAKEN FOR THE MAINICHI DAILY SHINBUN 10-5-05
Man faces charges for trying to buy schoolgirls' panties
YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa -- A man faces charges for tracking schoolgirls on the street while in his company car and pestering them to sell him their panties, prosecutors said.
The 24-year-old man, whose name has not been released, has been reported to the Yokosuka Branch of the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office, where he faces a charge of breaking a Kanagawa Prefectural Government ordinance aimed at providing youth with a wholesome upbringing.
The man, from Yokohama, has the dubious honor of being the first person to be reported to prosecutors since the ordinance was expanded in July to outlaw even the encouragement of used underwear purchases.
He admits to the allegations against him.
"I had no idea what I was doing was a crime. They were wearing really short skirts and I got all excited. I didn't want new panties, I wanted used ones," the man told prosecutors.
Police said the man drove up behind a group of three schoolgirls in their teens on Aug. 31 and followed them for about 140 meters, urging them to sell their underwear.
He used phrases like, "Your skirt is caught up. I'll buy your panties for 1,000 yen and your bra for 500 yen. Sell 'em to me," police said.
The man was driving a company car from the interior renovation company where he worked. The girls remembered the license number, which they used to report the man to authorities.
The Kanagawa ordinance has since July forbidden the sale of, or encouragement to sell, used underwear belonging to under18s that contains traces of feces, urine, saliva or other bodily fluids.

mCdonald's

it's the first McDonalds near chicago. Thay have sold a lot more but the prices haven't changed much

FROM KEGON FALLS NEAR NIKKO ABOUT 2 HOURS NORTH OF TOKYO

FROM THE TOSHOGU SHRINE FOR THE FIRST EDO SHOGUN TOKUGAWA IYASU.pay no mind to the sign

THE GREAT WALL

A GREAT SCENE FROM THE GREAT WALL..hahahhah

BABY SUMO

THIS WAS TAKEN FROM THE SEPT. 6 2005 DAILY MAINICHI

'Baby-crying sumo' tournament a hit in Nagoya

Babies are held up next to each other in the baby-crying sumo event in Nagoya on Sunday.

NAGOYA -- Parents put their babies to the test in a "baby-crying sumo" tournament here, as spectators gathered to see which baby would cry the fastest.

The tournament, in which babies faced each other, held up by participants playing the role of wrestlers, was staged in the head Matsuzakaya department store in Nagoya's Naka-ku.

Baby-crying sumo originated as a festival at Ikiko Shrine in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture. The event, featuring both Shinto priests and sumo referees, has become a regular occurrence around this time of year, and on Sunday a total of about 100 babies and toddlers aged between 3 months and 2 years took part.

Some babies cried as soon as they were held by the wrestlers, while others started swinging their hands.

As the results were released, referees appeared to focus on the individuality of the toddlers rather than on which baby cried first, and all bouts were declared ties. (Mainichi)

culture shock

at first this used to bother me...you're at the pisser and a female staff walks in to clean the toilets...i used to pinch it up and feel the burn...now I don't bat an eye.

GET THIS...NO ONE IN AUSTRALIA DRINKS FOSTER.

Complaining

I have been, for the last 4 years, working for one of the THE BIG English coversational schools and if you want to visit and live in Japan I defiantly recommend it. Now I have read on GOOGLE some people"s posts about working for these schools and I have one thing to say...these people are probably straight out of uni and never had a real job. I say this because I have seen such posts as.."you have to do the goals assigned to you"..."you have to work long hours". My work day starts at 12:30 and ends at 9:00 and while it is long it's not something I would complain about. I don't think I could ever wake up for a "9 to 5 job". I'm spoiled.When I was working back home I would arrive in Chicago, after an hour train ride, at 7:30 do the same thing I did the day before, scratch that... the past month before....finish at 5 or 6 and return home. Here, yeah it is long but theres no over time really and every day brings a different challenge. You can meet different people and do what you want as long as it fits the goals that are set...but that's like any job. I worked for a company were I knew that today, next Tuesday and Friday two weeks from now would bring the exact same dull mind draining work. Same shit different day sort of thing. Here everyday is different and what you make of it.