[Japan]: My life = busy!
Hello everybody! 
I'm sorry that I'm not around much lately. Like I already mentioned in one of my previous entries, I'm busy. I'm fully back into study-mode and I think I even update my Japanese blog(s) more often :(
I hope you understand! Next week will also be extremely busy at work, so I don't know yet when I'll be able to post the next travel entry!
This is just a quick update to show you that I'm still alive and to inform you that I'm busy, so don't expect me to read all your entries / comments IMMEDIATELY
Thanks for understanding.
Random Fact#1:
I finally have a "pseudo"-coffee machine! XD
I got really good coffee as a present, but as I have no coffee machine I had to buy one of those drip-thingies and coffee filter. Works just fine!!
I'm not much of a coffee drinker anymore (although I've started to drink more again recently), so I don't really need a coffee machine anyways.
Random Fact#2:
It's THAT time again???
If I say "again", I'm lying, because that's actually the first time that I'll be counted since I came to Japan. I wonder how often they do this. I thought they do it every year, but I know that's not the truth now XD
What I'm talking about? I got this pamphlet and it says that they will soon come to every single household to count how many people there are (foreigners included).
Random Fact #3:
It's still extremely hot (~ 30°C) although it's mid-September!!!!!! I have to admit that it's cooling down quite a bit at night, though. I hope autumn is coming soon!!!!
JDramas:
Like promised, here's the dramas I'm currently watching (more or less):
Unubore Deka (うぬぼれ刑事):
Info: A 30-year-old single detective (Nagase Tomoya), who is under the illusion that he is popular with females is called 'Unubore' by friends. He is an ultra romantic and susceptible to conceitedness. He has such a strong desire to marry to the extent that he has bought an apartment for his newlywed life. He falls in love with female criminals at first sight each time. While the sheer desire to meet wraps around him, he will get proof that the female is the culprit. And so, he will thrust both the arrest warrant and marriage papers at her, proposing with the words, "If you marry me, I won’t arrest you." If that still does not work, he will hold out an engagement ring and his handcuffs. In the end, the criminal will choose to be arrested and his heart will be broken. He will cry as he puts the handcuffs on her... (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
Actually this was the drama I was looking forward to the most as it feat. 2 of my fav actors: Ikuta Toma and Nagase Tomoya!
To be honest, I was disappointed. Of course, it's very amusing and I like Nagase-kun when he's playing dorky characters, but ...... each and every episode is exactly the same and thus dull. It gets boring.
I still keep watching while doing housework and stuff, not looking at the screen (good listening practice ;P) - and saves me time, too!
Natsu no koi ha nijiiro ni kagayaku (夏の恋は虹色に輝く)
English Title: Summer Romance shines in rainbow color
Info: Taiga is a struggling second-generation actor who has developed a complex due to his father, a famous actor in his time. Taiga, only get to appear in variety shows, most of the time. One day when his friend bring him out for a skydiving, a big wind dragg him away from the dropping point and he got stuck in a tree. A beautiful woman, Shiori (Takeuchi Yuko), come to rescue him. Shiori is a cheerful woman who laughs away all worries she has. She's exactly the opposite of Taiga... (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
I really like this drama. The story itself might not be "that" special, but I was surprised at MatsuJun's acting. He got me blushing quite a few times. Apart from that I've ALWAYS been a huge fan of the female main actress Takeuchi Yuko!!
MatsuJun and older women - that just works out if you ask me!!!! One of the first jdramas I ever watched was "Kimi ha petto" anyways ;P
The story is still interesting enough for me, it's entertaining, exciting, heartwarming, so yah .. this is probably my #2 of this season's dramas :D
And I just love his dorky-cute smile (*_*)v
Nihonjin no shiranai nihongo (日本人の知らない日本語)
Info: Kano Haruko (Naka Riisa) is a charismatic shop assistant who has such excellent fashion sense that she has been featured in fashion magazines. However, she is unable to give up her dream of being a high school teacher. Haruko is asked by her former teacher to teach Japanese to foreigners for three months on the understanding that he would introduce her for the high school’s Japanese language teaching position. And so, she becomes a trainee teacher at a Japanese language school where she coaches nine foreign students with strong personalities, including an Italian anime enthusiast and a Swede who is in love with ninjas, according to her own convictions, while setting her sights on becoming a high school teacher. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
There are some parts that are interesting even if you're Japanese is already quite good (that's why it's called "Japanese that even Japanese don't know"), but apart from that it's not a really good drama. The story (is there one?) is flat and dull and the characters suck (sorry!).
I don't know why they picked ugly foreigners and on top of that made freaks out of ALL of them!!!!! Yes, there are some freaks like shown in the drama out there, but don't throw us all in one pot, please! That makes me angry :(
*points at what's written in the subtitles* I think that is PARTLY true!! But then again, they don't like foreigners who act foreign either! :/ ......
What do you think?
Hammer Session (ハンマーセッション!)
Info: Two prisoners managed to escape after the police truck carrying them crashed. One of them ,is a gangster. The other called "Otowa YonKo" - our protagonist - is a con artist whose cheats money from criminals or terrorists. Accidentally, "Otowa Yonko" then becomes the new teacher for the nearby high school, under the new name "Hachisuka Goro", and according to a deal of "Hammer Session" with the headmaster. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
Just one more of those "school dramas" like "Gokusen", "Gachibaka", "Dragonzakura" etc. etc. etc.
There are millions of these kind of dramas out there. I only started watching it because I was bored at that time and it's VERY easy to follow even without subtitles, so I can watch it while doing other things ;P (yeah, not watching this one with subs! XD)
Thus, not really recommended!!!
JOKER Yurusarezaru Sosakan (ジョーカー 許されざる捜査官)
Info: Date Kazuyoshi (Sakai) is a detective on the Kanagawa prefectural police force. During the day, he is known as a "Buddha" for his gentle personality, pouring all of his energy into resolving each case. At night, however, he transforms into a cruel punisher as his gentleness gives way to his anger towards the criminals. The series poses questions about what justice and evil truly are. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
This is by far the most interesting and exciting drama this season - at least for me! Especially one episode (I think it was #6) made me soooooooo~ angry!!! It's basically a drama that makes you think about justice and what is right and wrong and the (Japanese) law system etc.
I've forgotten all about Ryo lately, but he's great in this drama, but the actual star here is not an ikemen, but Sakai Masato!! I already liked him in "Himitsu no Hanazono".
Highly recommended (but it gets bloody and cruel at times, so be aware of that!)
Beautiful Life (ビューティフルライフ )
Info: Kyoko, a young woman with an unhindered spirit despite being physically bound to a wheelchair due to illness, and Shuji, a stylish and popular fashion magazine hairstylist, are brought together in a fateful traffic incident. Despite their confrontational meeting, they soon find themselves falling in love, with Shuji drawn to her courage and enthusiasm and Kyoko attracted to his ability to look beyond her physical limitations and into her heart. However, Kyoko's protective older brother and her worsening condition begin to test the bounds of their love for each other and threaten to end their beautiful life together. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion: This is not a drama of the current season. Actually it's quite old (broadcasted 10 years ago!). I really like the old KimuTaku dramas, so every once in a while I watch one (luckily there are more than enough out there XD). This is just a typical KimuTaku romatic drama - with the exception that his love interest is a person who sits in a wheelchair :) Only watched about half of it yet, but it's pretty nice so far. Definitely something a KimuTaku fan has to watch ;P
Request/Questions:
To help my studies a bit, I'm looking for
Japanese online radios. I mean ACTUAL radio stations that you also could get via a normal radio not those pseudo English anime-related online channels, but where they actually speak Japanese, have news in Japanese etc.!
I don't have a radio here, so I can't access any local radio channels. I already googled the websites of my local radio stations, but it seems they don't offer any online channel at all! :(
If you know anything, please let me know!! (*_*) (P.S.: http://radiko.jp/ does NOT work in my area!! :( ...)
Also, I'm looking for
interesting Japanese websites or blogs that I could read on a daily basis or at least weekly!!! If you know any, please let me know!! You all know in what I'm interested, I guess, but anything that has to do with Japan, Germany, language studying, cats, cute things, Johnnys, travelling, photos, .... would be awesome!!! SHARE AWAY!!!~
Poll:
Last, but not least I decided to make a short poll. As my time is limited I can't write about everything I want to.
I figured I could ask you guys what you'd rather read about here. Maybe that helps me figure out what to write about, too XD
Poll What do you want to read about and see in my journal?
But after all that talk about me and my journal, I actually want to know:
Who are YOU??
1200+ crazy people have added my journal.
I'm not sure if all of them actually really read my journal, but I only know a handful of those people!
I want to use today's entry to get to know you guys better! Even if we have been friends for a long time and even if I comment on your entries often, I'm sure there are still things I don't know about you.
So, this is for ALL OF YOU!! If you feel like sharing anything about you, please feel free to do so! :)
If you know that we don't know each other well, please introduce yourself!! Let me know WHO you are!!! Anything is fine really. You can also tell me what your journal is about if you want to.
Of course, you don't have to do this. That's totally up to you guys!! ;)
All comments will be screened today. I'll unscreen them if there's no personal introduction at all. If you tell me something about yourself, please write at the end of your comment if I can unscreen your comment or not :3
Thanks so much!!!
P.S.: If I'm not updating for quite a while and you're wondering what's going on, you can always check out my
Twitter!!! :D
I'm sorry that I'm not around much lately. Like I already mentioned in one of my previous entries, I'm busy. I'm fully back into study-mode and I think I even update my Japanese blog(s) more often :(
I hope you understand! Next week will also be extremely busy at work, so I don't know yet when I'll be able to post the next travel entry!
This is just a quick update to show you that I'm still alive and to inform you that I'm busy, so don't expect me to read all your entries / comments IMMEDIATELY
Thanks for understanding.
Random Fact#1:
I finally have a "pseudo"-coffee machine! XD
I got really good coffee as a present, but as I have no coffee machine I had to buy one of those drip-thingies and coffee filter. Works just fine!!
I'm not much of a coffee drinker anymore (although I've started to drink more again recently), so I don't really need a coffee machine anyways.
Random Fact#2:
It's THAT time again???
If I say "again", I'm lying, because that's actually the first time that I'll be counted since I came to Japan. I wonder how often they do this. I thought they do it every year, but I know that's not the truth now XD
What I'm talking about? I got this pamphlet and it says that they will soon come to every single household to count how many people there are (foreigners included).
Random Fact #3:
It's still extremely hot (~ 30°C) although it's mid-September!!!!!! I have to admit that it's cooling down quite a bit at night, though. I hope autumn is coming soon!!!!
JDramas:
Like promised, here's the dramas I'm currently watching (more or less):
Unubore Deka (うぬぼれ刑事):
Info: A 30-year-old single detective (Nagase Tomoya), who is under the illusion that he is popular with females is called 'Unubore' by friends. He is an ultra romantic and susceptible to conceitedness. He has such a strong desire to marry to the extent that he has bought an apartment for his newlywed life. He falls in love with female criminals at first sight each time. While the sheer desire to meet wraps around him, he will get proof that the female is the culprit. And so, he will thrust both the arrest warrant and marriage papers at her, proposing with the words, "If you marry me, I won’t arrest you." If that still does not work, he will hold out an engagement ring and his handcuffs. In the end, the criminal will choose to be arrested and his heart will be broken. He will cry as he puts the handcuffs on her... (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
Actually this was the drama I was looking forward to the most as it feat. 2 of my fav actors: Ikuta Toma and Nagase Tomoya!
To be honest, I was disappointed. Of course, it's very amusing and I like Nagase-kun when he's playing dorky characters, but ...... each and every episode is exactly the same and thus dull. It gets boring.
I still keep watching while doing housework and stuff, not looking at the screen (good listening practice ;P) - and saves me time, too!
Natsu no koi ha nijiiro ni kagayaku (夏の恋は虹色に輝く)
English Title: Summer Romance shines in rainbow color
Info: Taiga is a struggling second-generation actor who has developed a complex due to his father, a famous actor in his time. Taiga, only get to appear in variety shows, most of the time. One day when his friend bring him out for a skydiving, a big wind dragg him away from the dropping point and he got stuck in a tree. A beautiful woman, Shiori (Takeuchi Yuko), come to rescue him. Shiori is a cheerful woman who laughs away all worries she has. She's exactly the opposite of Taiga... (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
I really like this drama. The story itself might not be "that" special, but I was surprised at MatsuJun's acting. He got me blushing quite a few times. Apart from that I've ALWAYS been a huge fan of the female main actress Takeuchi Yuko!!
MatsuJun and older women - that just works out if you ask me!!!! One of the first jdramas I ever watched was "Kimi ha petto" anyways ;P
The story is still interesting enough for me, it's entertaining, exciting, heartwarming, so yah .. this is probably my #2 of this season's dramas :D
And I just love his dorky-cute smile (*_*)v
Nihonjin no shiranai nihongo (日本人の知らない日本語)
Info: Kano Haruko (Naka Riisa) is a charismatic shop assistant who has such excellent fashion sense that she has been featured in fashion magazines. However, she is unable to give up her dream of being a high school teacher. Haruko is asked by her former teacher to teach Japanese to foreigners for three months on the understanding that he would introduce her for the high school’s Japanese language teaching position. And so, she becomes a trainee teacher at a Japanese language school where she coaches nine foreign students with strong personalities, including an Italian anime enthusiast and a Swede who is in love with ninjas, according to her own convictions, while setting her sights on becoming a high school teacher. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
There are some parts that are interesting even if you're Japanese is already quite good (that's why it's called "Japanese that even Japanese don't know"), but apart from that it's not a really good drama. The story (is there one?) is flat and dull and the characters suck (sorry!).
I don't know why they picked ugly foreigners and on top of that made freaks out of ALL of them!!!!! Yes, there are some freaks like shown in the drama out there, but don't throw us all in one pot, please! That makes me angry :(
*points at what's written in the subtitles* I think that is PARTLY true!! But then again, they don't like foreigners who act foreign either! :/ ......
What do you think?
Hammer Session (ハンマーセッション!)
Info: Two prisoners managed to escape after the police truck carrying them crashed. One of them ,is a gangster. The other called "Otowa YonKo" - our protagonist - is a con artist whose cheats money from criminals or terrorists. Accidentally, "Otowa Yonko" then becomes the new teacher for the nearby high school, under the new name "Hachisuka Goro", and according to a deal of "Hammer Session" with the headmaster. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
Just one more of those "school dramas" like "Gokusen", "Gachibaka", "Dragonzakura" etc. etc. etc.
There are millions of these kind of dramas out there. I only started watching it because I was bored at that time and it's VERY easy to follow even without subtitles, so I can watch it while doing other things ;P (yeah, not watching this one with subs! XD)
Thus, not really recommended!!!
JOKER Yurusarezaru Sosakan (ジョーカー 許されざる捜査官)
Info: Date Kazuyoshi (Sakai) is a detective on the Kanagawa prefectural police force. During the day, he is known as a "Buddha" for his gentle personality, pouring all of his energy into resolving each case. At night, however, he transforms into a cruel punisher as his gentleness gives way to his anger towards the criminals. The series poses questions about what justice and evil truly are. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion:
This is by far the most interesting and exciting drama this season - at least for me! Especially one episode (I think it was #6) made me soooooooo~ angry!!! It's basically a drama that makes you think about justice and what is right and wrong and the (Japanese) law system etc.
I've forgotten all about Ryo lately, but he's great in this drama, but the actual star here is not an ikemen, but Sakai Masato!! I already liked him in "Himitsu no Hanazono".
Highly recommended (but it gets bloody and cruel at times, so be aware of that!)
Beautiful Life (ビューティフルライフ )
Info: Kyoko, a young woman with an unhindered spirit despite being physically bound to a wheelchair due to illness, and Shuji, a stylish and popular fashion magazine hairstylist, are brought together in a fateful traffic incident. Despite their confrontational meeting, they soon find themselves falling in love, with Shuji drawn to her courage and enthusiasm and Kyoko attracted to his ability to look beyond her physical limitations and into her heart. However, Kyoko's protective older brother and her worsening condition begin to test the bounds of their love for each other and threaten to end their beautiful life together. (source: DramaWiki)
Personal opinion: This is not a drama of the current season. Actually it's quite old (broadcasted 10 years ago!). I really like the old KimuTaku dramas, so every once in a while I watch one (luckily there are more than enough out there XD). This is just a typical KimuTaku romatic drama - with the exception that his love interest is a person who sits in a wheelchair :) Only watched about half of it yet, but it's pretty nice so far. Definitely something a KimuTaku fan has to watch ;P
Request/Questions:
To help my studies a bit, I'm looking for
Japanese online radios. I mean ACTUAL radio stations that you also could get via a normal radio not those pseudo English anime-related online channels, but where they actually speak Japanese, have news in Japanese etc.!
I don't have a radio here, so I can't access any local radio channels. I already googled the websites of my local radio stations, but it seems they don't offer any online channel at all! :(
If you know anything, please let me know!! (*_*) (P.S.: http://radiko.jp/ does NOT work in my area!! :( ...)
Also, I'm looking for
interesting Japanese websites or blogs that I could read on a daily basis or at least weekly!!! If you know any, please let me know!! You all know in what I'm interested, I guess, but anything that has to do with Japan, Germany, language studying, cats, cute things, Johnnys, travelling, photos, .... would be awesome!!! SHARE AWAY!!!~
Poll:
Last, but not least I decided to make a short poll. As my time is limited I can't write about everything I want to.
I figured I could ask you guys what you'd rather read about here. Maybe that helps me figure out what to write about, too XD
Poll What do you want to read about and see in my journal?
But after all that talk about me and my journal, I actually want to know:
Who are YOU??
1200+ crazy people have added my journal.
I'm not sure if all of them actually really read my journal, but I only know a handful of those people!
I want to use today's entry to get to know you guys better! Even if we have been friends for a long time and even if I comment on your entries often, I'm sure there are still things I don't know about you.
So, this is for ALL OF YOU!! If you feel like sharing anything about you, please feel free to do so! :)
If you know that we don't know each other well, please introduce yourself!! Let me know WHO you are!!! Anything is fine really. You can also tell me what your journal is about if you want to.
Of course, you don't have to do this. That's totally up to you guys!! ;)
All comments will be screened today. I'll unscreen them if there's no personal introduction at all. If you tell me something about yourself, please write at the end of your comment if I can unscreen your comment or not :3
Thanks so much!!!
P.S.: If I'm not updating for quite a while and you're wondering what's going on, you can always check out my
Twitter!!! :D