I have done 5 solid rides over the last five days. Great weather, lots of sunshine. All the rides have been in northern Taiwan – most of them in the Sanzhi area. Lots of hills – but nothing too big. Mt. Datun reaches 820 meters above sea level. Most of the other hills are around 300 meters above sea level. Lots of spinning.

It was cold today – 55F 13C – Windy and roads were still wet but no rain. After riding the newly paved sakura roads I took a different route and found a 20% to 24% grade hill – great for sprint work or a mini time trail of sorts. After climbing the hill I backtracked and found myself on Rd 15 and then Rd 8 – in the mix I found some serious goat paths – gonna have to revisit this ride. A couple savage dogs – unlike my friend Marty – I cannot soothe em with a whistle so I resorted to kicking the meanest one in the face with my cleat. Sorry mean-ass dog.

GARMIN LINK

It was around 75 degrees today. Great riding conditions. Here is the GPS link for today’s ride:
70KM 1300 meters of climbing – Lots of Sunshine!
GARMIN LINK

Long ride today – 100km 2200 meters of hill climbing.

Click the link for the bike details:
GARMIN LINK

Sorry this video is almost unwatchable. 100km 1800 meters of riding. AMAZING RIDE.

Here is the Google Map and all my details for the ride:

GARMIN DETAILS

Here is the Garmin link for this ride.
Click Me!

Beautiful ride.

After yesterdays ride this looks like elementary school – however don’t be fooled – these hills are a workout. There is a solid 630 meters of climbing at a solid 8% to 10% grade incline. Near the end of the ride you can see I did a loop. This is a great 3 minute sprint up 50 meters of climbing. I am considering doing a couple reps next time. I did one today and held about 15 km per hour. We shall see…
Enjoy the video – youtube – my FTP access for my site is fxxked?

Better to be 3 hours early than 1 minute late.
nm

Life is Taiwan has been a real treat. After my nine years in Japan, where I honestly became so comfortable – I consider it my second home. Now, here in Taiwan trying to do it all over again at 33 years old, l have quickly come to understand it takes enormous amounts of energy to take a deep bite out of the culture and language of foreign country. The acid snail from Africa seemed to be doing just fine.

I have found work at a couple Universities, cram schools, and even kindergartens! The work here is fun and the folks in Taipei are hungry to learn and speak English. I hope my efforts to facilitate their English level’s are fruitful. It seems learning a second language as an adult is more about confidence, motivation, investment, and humiliation – unlike the grassroots language acquisition of a child. Speaking of which my daughter is now two and is busting out mad crazy Chinese – urgh, I gotta keep up. (but doing my darnedest to teach her English and even some Japanese)

To those of you who are waiting or who checked back for a video – trust me I will get back in the game. At the moment I have been working on other things – mainly cycling and weight lifting. Since I moved to Taiwan those are my main two releases. I should vlog more about my rides and workouts – I am sure there is an audience out there for those two topics. But for now I will only say – man, it is hot in Taiwan – and giant snails.

Still here – I hope to get another one up later this month. Peace.

I am planning to get back into making videos – gonna try to make one a week – watch out!
Enjoy.

Not much of a ride – 25KM – however got the dead chain link removed and now ready for the spring season of riding…Albums listened to during this ride – John Frusciante ‘The Will to Death’ Jimmy Eat World ‘Futures’ and Dillinger Four ‘Civil War’ – You can capture so much on tape – to ride is to be.
Enjoy.

Here is some footage from the boardwalk near my place. This was taken in Danshui, Taiwan.
Enjoy.

I am listening to Rainer Maria – I knew and listened to this group in 1997 – ??? Greg – hey the music came and went – love it hate it – I still hold this kind of sound dear to who I am – to the bottom of the dirty part of my foot (feet) – Aahoo!

I have to admit I didn’t spend much time on this video – however I am posting it to stay in the game. Trust me – good things to come. The last two months have been a complete crash course in what – wow, can I say something cheesy like – urgh, life. After nine years in Japan the move to Taiwan has been a complete breath of fresh air. I have found I have been able to recalibrate my entire outlook on the human existence – that is a really a mouthful, and perhaps I am only on the honeymoon of moving to a new country – which I would pay any deserving anthropologist/psychologist/MD to research the dopamine levels of an group of folks who move to a new country to live – I am firm believer the wanders, culture thirsty folks – are perhaps chasing this priceless transparent and fleeting experience of forever rotating elsewhere – is this/it so worthwhile?

Dillinger Four.
The girls were selling computers, or were they?
Enjoy.

Here is a quick tour of a couple places in Danshui. Pork!

This was taken from the east coast of Taiwan.
Enjoy the tour!

A trip down to the east coast of Taiwan. Enjoy!

Here is my first video from Taiwan – hopefully more to come!
Enjoy.

This may or may not be my last JPN video for a while. The plane departs on October 6th – Taiwan here I come!
Enjoy -
Music by She and Him

Well, this is a first for me – watch out Micheal Phelps! Enter Meiwanna. We were back in North Carolina for about 3 weeks. We had a great time. I didn’t get much video however I took a million pictures. I hope to get a couple final videos up over the next 6 weeks. It looks like I will be heading to Taiwan the first week of October. Wish me luck.

For those of you who dig my music videos – this will forever be a memory. I ride this green road 4 or 5 times a week. I wanted to share two things – the end of the rainy season and this wonderful Chinese artist – Xu Wei – ?? if you browser reads that – YouTube it or Google it…
Enjoy.

For breakfast I have been eating so much language. Trying to gather up all my tools for the next month. Hello. The world is becoming a tube for transformation – sun to energy to go…you need this in to make it go – and it cost a lot. I just wanna yell at the moon – cause I am sure he is full of fossil fun plunder and run – argh…ok – spill and slid into a bit of reality, ok – Bicycle Sidewalk fans – here is a bit of the conversation I had with tatted new friend. Man, what a night, what a night. What a ride, what a place – JAPAN. Yes, I can use chopsticks – and your toilet holes! I love this place – gonna cry a river in October – Really.

Busy but found time to get this up. Last weekend, a good friend was back in Kurume – he introduced me to all his boys – was amazed by the body art – check it out – didn’t have time to tag this one with any English however I think anyone can get the idea. Ended up getting some great interview footage and will try and tag it later this week(end). Peace across the world and beware of earthquakes, deadly amounts of water rushing toward your abode, landslides, and all the other bad stuff that seems to be eating away at humanity.
Click here for a good time.

I was in South Korea last weekend. Great trip. Music by Blood on the Wall.
Enjoy.

light – good and summer
coming before we know it
speeding from outer space
rays of sunlight will arrive
welcomed and hard boiled
bits of dreamy anticipation
summer – perheps the season
the dream of summer -
the fictions, the spine
bathing suit bikini baby
summer gasoline moment
sweaty sweat sweet summer
all is blue, confident
alien moon sightings
looked like this –
to keep us humans
keeping on –

Part 2 of the Potato Man…Enjoy…I sure did!

Ok, this was recorded about 2 weeks ago. This is a great study in so many things. Linguistics, I make some very obvious mistakes in my Japanese…and the fellow even calls my Japanese broken – this is when they really are talking to you…thank goodness, if I was still hearing something like­ I would probably get a big L tattooed across my forehead. We ended up talking for a good 40 minutes. This is was recorded in Kurume, I was out on a Friday – the weather has been great…
Anyhow…the Yakiimo song is perhaps one of the staple sounds I will carry in my mind til I am six feet under…
I will post part two in a week or so. Enjoy – and excuse the type in the subs…

Here are about 30 pictures from a market in Taipei. I used my iSight to capture the narration. I usually use my 3CCD camera to record the talk. I hate to say it, but I have gotten a bit lazy these days…Enjoy.

I think we all have dreams that our life would be more interesting if we only lived somewhere else – hmmmm – take a step back, there are plenty of folks who are happy right where they are. Pause. Take a step forward, look at where you are and where you are going – From my experience the dream of living elsewhere is sometimes more vivid and real than the actually reality of living elsewhere.
Everything is relative to where you spin on the earth.
Music: Tift Merritt
Enjoy

I am in Taiwan at the moment – I will write more in a bit.
Enjoy.

Well, this is a really short but (I think) has a one tiny artistic moment – I like the twig moment – it seems the music lines up with the sky and the small jutted twigs just right for only a split second or two…anyhow, this footage was taken at the base of Kabuto-yama in Kurume City, I am considering tagging my posts with a Google Earth file so you can get a better idea of where I am coming from, but as for now – if you really want to know – open Google Earth and search for Fukuoka, Kurume – I live near the Chikugo River…The song is by John Frusciante. I am currently in Taiwan – today I imagine I will take my camera out into Taipei…I have taken some great photos and will probably throw something together when I return to Japan. As for now – nothing much else to report…enjoy the video!

Well, it has been over a month since I have made a video. This is something I threw together over the weekend. As you can see – I really threw this one together…I recently moved back to Kurume and I am in the process of unpacking and setting up the new apartment. I didn’t use my normal green background, this video was made with only the mild green background of a bare wall in my apartment – as much as I tweaked it – I could not clean it up…oh well, it is not the end of the world. This video is about 7 minutes long. I walk you through a ramen joint and then later at night in Fukuoka City – they are cleaning up after a long night’s work at a food stall. I plan to start making more videos this spring – if there is anything you would like to see or hear about in Kyushu drop me a comment or an email. Enjoy!

Here is a video with a handful of folks from various Asian countries.
Enjoy.

Quick update – I imagine I will get a video up sometime next week. I have been rather busy over that last week, however I did find some time to take a bit of video…hopefully I can log and capture it later this weekend…until then, have a nice weekend everyone.

Title says it all! Enjoy.

Quesitons from a Japan Blog: Basic Black
1. What’s your favorite Japanese food?

Sushi, Sashimi –

2. What sound in the urban environment do you like best?

Any music/noise blaring from a white kei truck.

3. What part of your daily routine do you despise most?

Parking anywhere.

4. Who is your favorite celebrity?

Sanma

5. Do you speak Japanese?

Yes, fluently.

6. Can you read Japanese?

Yes, perhaps better than I can speak. I love to read.

7. When did you first come to Japan?

1999.

8. Do you like karaoke?

It grew on me over the years. Now I seldom turn down a night out singing.

10. What are your favorite books by Japanese authors?

Want to be orginal with this one, however gotta go with Murakami Haruki

11. What’s the best holiday you’ve had in Japan?

Anytime in the spring – Anywhere -

12. Have you ever been in the media in Japan?

No.

13. What do you think about Japanese Macaque monkeys?

Not sure about these monkeys.

14. Do you bow?

Often.

15. What aspect of Japanese culture has made an indellible impression on you?

Trains are on time, the taxi driver won’t try and rip you off, things usually work in Japan.

Beautiful video – Fukuoka Prefecture – Near Sasaguri Town
This footage was taken at Nanzouin, you can see the Kanji in the video – 南蔵院 – what a mouthful, or should I say eyeful, sometimes the busier a character or set of characters become the easier they are to recognize.
Enjoy.

I asked him about the food at this Korean Bibinba joint…this place is in Fukuoka…He said it was not spicy…and the thing is…man, all spicy, real spicy Asian food gets Japanized when it lands in front of you on your plate…it was a good conversation…I will get the sub version up sooner or later…Enjoy for now…He is not Korean, the owner is Korean…

Notes – sorry about the awful camera work in this video, I was on the verge of not posting it because the Blair Witch effect really engulfs this one…however the commentary actually sounds good, a couple interesting points…(me thinks) Anyhow, I will be back with something from the street in a couple days…as for now, Enjoy – and be sure to check out Japan Podcasters.

This is my first video of 2008. I got some pretty good footage during this Taiko event. This group is from Yufuin, Oita. They are called Genryu. They did three performances on January 2nd 2008 in the ground level of the Mitsukoshi building. Midway through the performance many people gathered to see the them pound out their beats. Something else.

Wow – Perhaps the best comment/link/heads up I have gotten thus far – I have been recognized! Dan, who has commented, however I was totally unaware of his readership/watchership has built and amazing and educational Japanese podcast directory…I love it…his writing has character, class, and most of all voice…what can I say…Dan you are the Man! Read this!

I am thinking of starting a poetry blog…however for the time being I will be posting my stuff here.

train fight

make the loudest noise, she said
into the night and learn morning on the train
push at the back of your jaw
for more pain where the new cavity
drains bone to turn sugar and vein
to something you call “oh I got this problem”
pain she said to me on a cloudy monday,
lousy train ride to an unknown place like -

hello she said to me, and without
a seven second flinch hello I said -
into the morning we rode, elsewhere,
trains, telephones, moments between stop
yet to go and be where we need to be she said -
that was the prime and utmost reality
for everyone she tried to tell me, just
do it, do it, have it, make it, etc…
something like a white piece of white.

White she said is the color of summer
but it was not summer and white was
only as close to us as the cold snow
outside the train, the windows pushing
our noises, like little children waiting
for the slide, up and down, up and down
faster and faster into the next day
until they were older and curious -
what happen, what did the adults tell us -
what is this, where are we?

I will comment and explain why I used this video size and format later. Enjoy.

Been a while since I made a video…Here is something I have been putting together bit by bit…Enjoy.

A mid-week video. The water footage was really taken out in the country, and the city footage was really taken in the city. Enjoy.

Here is a trademark Bicycle Sidewalk video. A bit of commentary on Japan…enjoy the video.

My barely used Japanese cell phone – click me!

Autumn in here!
Enjoy.

I recently finished a DVD project for a friend. I don’t have time to go into the details, however the main theme was, in a word – environment…This video came to me quickly, it is kinda loose, (well really loose) however it works for me – like ticker-tape spinning out of my conscience – Enjoy.
Music by Alexi Murdoch
Ahh…by the way, since the upgrade to Leopard my old video compress mix doesn’t work anymore…this video was compressed using Apple’s H.264 codec…let me know if you are having problems watching this video. I will try and fix the old codec asap.

Ahhh…I will fix this later tonight…there is an offline media box at the end of the video…no need to watch after the www.bicycl-sidewalk.com and the ad roll over…sorry bout that.

What a character.
Enjoy.

Hello. I made this a similar video a couple weeks, it was somewhat a fresh idea for Bicycle Sidewalk, (however I am sure you could something of the likes on Youtube) – anyhow, as an artist, this is a lesson in obedience. Will write more asap. Enjoy.

ahhh…for you jpn language folks…I got one wrong…表示 is actually ひょうじ not ひょうし

This is something I have never understood, and have only taken part in it a handful of times, however these guys ended up with a pretty good picture.
Enjoy the ruckus.

This is a relaxed piece…It takes a lot to tell a good story. And I am by no means saying I have told a story in this video…however when I started Bicycle Sidewalk, I had the energy and vision that I am watching all over Youtube, or basically any video on the net site- however at my start-up time (only 2.5 years ago) it was difficult to convince/explain/spread the word about this type of media…now that it has caught on…hmmm…perhaps it time for me to go back to the drawing board.
Music by Mice Parade. Enjoy.

I have made this video a couple times, however this one really captures just that – the girl, the light, the shoes…
Music by Money Mark – Push the Button – a great album.
Enjoy.

Ok…I really should think a bit more before I do the narration…around 4:27 my brain must have just stopped working? Uh…it’s a rotation motor?…what? Anyhow I am sure I won’t lose any viewers, I honestly started to crack up when I watched it…oh well…Go Internet!

Here is a great chat I had with a good friend. You can check up on David over at Samurai Soapbox.
Enjoy!

I have a lot to say about this video and the shape of Bicycle Sidewalk, however I am dead tired…will comment in the morning…
Music by The American Analog Set. Enjoy!

Well, this is another music video…I think I worked on it a little bit every night for couple evenings. I am in the process organizing all my videos and footage. A bit about my storage; 2 USB 320 GB external hard drives, 3 firewire external hard drives coming to 660 GB…and the 250 GB drive in my computer…however looks like I am running out of room…guess I am going to have to do some housecleaning sooner or later. Anyhow, thanks to the fine folks at Apple, Final Cut allows me organize everything exactly the way I want it…
There are couple outstanding moments in this video, however to degree I don’t feel it carries any enormous weight. However, compared to the stuff I was putting together two years ago I think the last couple music videos have really taken a shape that defines my style and my never-ending ambition to be part of this music scene.
Anyhow…hope to see everyone over the next 100 videos!

Wow, one more video and I will hit 300!
This one is full of great images, I was thinking of tagging a bit of text on this video but after watching it I think the text would only clutter this already busy collage of a music video. In this video I started off with a bit of footage from a pottery classroom, we are thinking of learning how to spin our own pots…so my wife and I went to a really interesting place located here in Fukuoka, I think we will give it a try later next month…The following images of the stink bug and the goya were taken on the same day. That funky vegetable is something else, if you have never tried it I recommend you give it a go at least once…A lot of people in Kyushu associate it with Okinawain cuisine. Anyhow, the video continues with a handful of other images from this summer and even earlier stuff taken in January of this year. As for the tunes, a friend introduced me to a site worth sharing, long live the mix-tape! This song is by Jens Lekman. Enjoy this one, and see you at 300!

Here is a bit of footage from Taiwan. This video is about 5 minutes, You will find a quick tour of a small village, dinner at relatives house and the city/street scene (Taipei)…plenty to see and do in Taipei, if you ever have a chance to visit, Taipei is certainly a city worth checking out. Enjoy.

This one captures the night in two minutes. It is like one of those things, a friend writes a short story, lets you read it and when you are finished, it is unfortunate but it happens – you didn’t understand it. There are plenty of things to say about this, I want to point out two – 1. Most likely the friend who wrote the story would say – ahhh…you gotta read it at least two times to understand what I am saying. (This is absolutely the last thing any writer should ever say or even think.) People read books twice, watch movies more than once, listen to the same album countless times, simply because it is good not because “you gotta read it twice.” 2. This video may work for some people it may not…if you have lived in Japan, are living in Japan, or have ever been an ex-pat, going out with foreign friends is always plenty of fun. This video showcases a handful of people I met that night or have known since I moved to Fukuoka, there are couple folks, the boxer and his crowd who we just kinda ran into (part of any Saturday night) – and I got into an interesting conversation with him…Anyhow I guess what I am trying to say is explaining yourself, your reality to the world isn’t always as easy as all my favorite artists make it seem. Music by Isotope 217. Enjoy!

This was a ordinary moment in a little village by the sea. However after I dropped the Five Style track on this footage, instantly I found myself watching a bit of the Twilight zone. It seems there is almost the bare bones of a story in this one…kinda going out on a limb, however the woman on the motorbike looks to a certain direction, the woman washing the knife also looks at something or someone. I slowed down most of the footage to about 70% – this probably adds to the creepiness, especially the shot of the little boy. Anyhow, that duck was wonderful…something you don’t often come across in Japan. The sushi was something else too…enjoy.

Back in Japan.
Links:
Amis
Music
I have plenty of footage from Taiwan…will be posting it during the next couple weeks, along with moments from Fukuoka as the summer cools down…
Enjoy.

Well, I think a week has gone by and I haven’t made a video…it kinda started to nag at me, Nathan – when are you gonna make another video…which is a bad thing, because when a hobby evolves into a thing you have to do, it begins to lose its fun…yet no need to fear, Bicycle Sidewalk will continue to roll…and in the up and coming weeks I plan to get some great footage from Taiwan. Here is a wrap up of the last couple weeks…some great summer footage. The song in the background is an Okinawain tune…the name of the song: 浜千鳥
and the artist: 川田房枝

Enjoy the video!

Some great stuff I have come across or friends have sent me:

What I am listening to these days: Hello Seahorse!
What I watched and thought: Finally someone told me what has been going on! Zeitgeist
What a great way to listen to music, (yeah Pandora is cool but I live in Japan…and it don’t work here…) Try this!

A great moment in Japanese culture…
Enjoy.
Thanks for Chipping in!

I love the light bulb cut…attention to detail, while filming; sometimes it happens…sometimes it doesn’t…kinda like the way I clean (sometimes), which gives my wife plenty to fret about…Enjoy!

This is a long video, but well worth the watch, plenty of great images of Japan, and a tiny of culture too!
Enjoy! Thanks for Chippin!

Sorry about the size of this one, you might want to do the RSS thing, or open the page and let this one download for a bit…sorry.

Here is a typical Bicycle Sidewalk video…Summer is here! Enjoy!
Thanks for Chippin!

This is a smooth music video, I thought about doing a voice over, however after showing it to my wife, she said…what are you going to say, look a dog on a rock?
Music by The Album Leaf. Enjoy!

Kiddy Yamakasa…gonna have to wait til next year, but it’s a good video! Click here for the high quality QT version!
Hey, and thanks for Chipping in!

Summer night…wow!

Will comment later…
Tattoo me today. Wash me away tomorrow morning…Enjoy.

Thanks! Here is a magical tune…Listen.

Well, this is a quick bit of summer here in Fukuoka. This was taken at a food stall near my house. I got into a great chat with someone on the street, got it on tape, hopefully I have I will get it up in a couple days…as for now, thanks for chippin in! Enjoy!

Take a moment to enjoy this walk I did last night. I was thinking about tagging this with a poem or random thoughts however it seems to flow just fine without the words…plus I am getting tired and wanted to get something online before I hit the sack. Ahh…thanks for chipping in…it really means a lot to me. Music by Mogwai. Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Fukuoka, night, street, mood, summer, moon

Thanks! Here is a magical tune…Listen.

Well, I have had my fair share of chats with retired Japanese folks, this was taken in Fukuoka City about a week ago…it turned into a 10 minute conversation about Japan and Taiwan…a couple of the old ladies had a couple things to say about Taiwan. One woman had been crossed by a Taiwanese friend and didn’t have much good to say, kind of a sour moment in the conversation. This is only the beginning of the conversation, not sure if I will post the rest…it really wasn’t anything outstanding…Enjoy!

Update: I think I will throw together a video later tonight, however in the meantime…I can’t help to mention the hype surrounding the iPhone. Over here in the Japan I don’t think it will turn as many heads…Almost all cell phones/keitais here can play music/surf the web/mail/call people…nothing new…the iPhone’s touch screen interface/OS and slick design are tempting esp for a Mac user like myself, however over here in Japan, the iPhone really isn’t bringing anything new to the table.

I might do some serious editing on this one over the weekend, see what kind of changes I can create…if anyone else wants to play let me know…I could even send you the raw footage…Enjoy!

A quick stop at a yatai in Fukuoka City.
Enjoy!

A little bit of everything in this one! Here is the link to their site –> Click here for the high quality QT file!
Enjoy.

This type of video still works, I think…I plan on doing more of these this summer.
And I hope to bring back more of the conversations I have with random folks in Fukuoka…
Enjoy!

Fukuoka City! Music by Jim O’Rourke.
Enjoy!

This is a bit of recycle footage with a little bit of a twist. I think I took this about 5 months ago…this song, I am not sure where I picked it up, but it certainly deconstructs the J-Pop thing by leaps and bounds…sorry about that…a bit of Japan from all directions….Enjoy!

死ぬほど心配している　〜　prehaps the state of Bicycle Sidewalk for fresh ideas…やれやれ…

This is a mix up, a mood piece, it is short and hopefully will take you somewhere.
Enjoy!

Here is a quick look into my walk around town on a Sunday afternoon.
Enjoy!

This is a review of a handful of the music videos I have posted over the last 4 months. It is about 20 minutes!
Enjoy.

Well, this isn’t what I had in mind, however it was a busy weekend…Hopefully I will be back with something that packs more of a punch…anyhow, as for now, I am slowly pushing closer to 300 videos! Music by Asobi Sekusu. enjoy.

This video was taken somewhere in Fukuoka City, a typical scene of men at work. This last week I had to grade a truck load of tests, hopefully I will be able to get out and take some video later this weekend. The weather in Fukuoka has been great however the inevitable rainy season is right around the corner. This video will come in handy in the future, plenty of action, dynamic and full of impact! A couple simple things I have learned about filming since I started my vlog…regardless how wonderful your zoom is, try to get as close as you can to the object you are filming. If your camera has a hand strap, don’t use it…hold your camera like your were holding a birthcake with both hands, steady is as steady goes…these things are all pretty rudimentary, however to put them in practice and get some good footage it takes a bit of practice. With that said, I think the shaky or intention flight of the camera from object to object to elsewhere, capturing bits of light and colors can be useful in a music video or artisty piece…however vertigo is certainly undesireable…anyhow I am just rambling, I have switched to the H.264 compression and it takes forever for my computer to squash the flick down to size…As long as the weather is good I plan on going out this weekend to get some footage of something somewhere…let’s hope for the best, it has been a while since I got a good street interview…Hammer away!

Well, the Vlog Music Video Deathmatch is over…it was plenty of fun…I was going to do the greenscreen thing with this footage however after watching it with the Bright Eyes song, I knew I had a keeper…This was taken on a weekend in Fukuoka City. Enjoy!

This is my entry for the Vlog Deathmatch Music Video contest…The voting will start on Monday. If you have a minute go and check out some of the videos…some really interesting stuff. Enjoy.

Here is a quick tour of Dontaku Festival in Fukuoka City. The vlog music video deathmatch thing I mentioned is here! I will post my video on my site and over there too…I imagine I will post it Friday or Saturday…If you dig it please vote for me! Anyhow, I hope you dig this narration video, these days there are so many people making videos it is hard to keep up…This type of video is what attracted so much attention to my site in the beginning, I still like doing them and I hope to keep them up…Thanks for all your comments and kind words…Til the next video, enjoy!

More Salsa…
enjoy!

Garden beside Ohori Park. Fukuoka City.
Music by Alpha
Enjoy!

Recently, wow, where has Bicycle Sidewalk gone…it hits me and hits me hard…well…this is a video blog about Japan…and here I am…Enjoy!
will comment later…

Street footage…Fukuoka City…Music by Sean Lennon…
Sorry about the double take, I am sure you will catch it…maybe I will fix it later…
Enjoy!

Well, this is a quick video, for those of you who follow my stuff this is a bit of footage from my place of work. Next week is the school festival…if you happen to be in the Kurume area on Monday or Tuesday get in touch and I will give you directions to the school if you want to check it out!
Enjoy!

First of all, I really butchered the word ‘geta’ if you know anything about Japanese pronunciation you oughtta get a real good kick out of that little blunder or should I say I often cringe when I hear a heavy Texan/southern accent pronouce the word Arigatou in Japanese…Hey, and I am from North Carolina!
Anyhow, this is a simple video…If you are interested in the geta, 下駄, drop me 30 bucks in my paypal account and I will send you a pair…the shipping is included in the 30 bucks…deal ehhh? These are basically a one size fits most men…I can get a pair of women’s too…
Anyhow, enjoy the chat…

This is a quick tour of the last 6 months via a music video, you will find yourself in a handful of Asian countries…enjoy the tunes, however, for the life of me I do not know the artist name, got the song off a mixed CD a friend sent me years ago…if anyone knows the artist, hook me up! Enjoy!

Sorry about the repeating narration in this video. I had some trouble logging and capturing from my camera, I kept getting a dropped frame message…I got some kinda frustrated and just threw it together like this…hope you don’t mind…three cheers for amazing frustration! Enjoy!

Well, this is a video I made, yet have not completely finished. The idea was to capture the evening at this particular bar…however I think I might have to go back, the lighting wasn’t that great, and I didn’t catch the place at its peak…With that said, this quick video should give you a glimpse into the nightlife of Fukuoka. This bar, Fubar, is located in Tenjin, on Oyafuko Dori, if you are new to Fukuoka or just visiting I am sure you would run into a handful of English speaking people, the owner is a great guy from England.
Enjoy!

A handful of things in this one.
Enjoy!

A bit of Japan and Taiwan…Enjoy!

This is a simple video, a little over 2 minutes, just a bit of salsa dancing…in a night club on a Saturday night in Kyushu, Fukuoka. I was asked to take some video of the night and hopefully I will be able to make something that they can use next time when they throw the next event. I feel I should say something about cultures crossing into one another, people learning bits and pieces about lands elsewhere…it is an amazing thing, and thanks to this great technology, common folks like myself can share a bit of where I have been and what I have seen…and it is nice to have an audience! Japanese culture, for what it’s worth is a rich and beauty thing, however the essence of any culture seen from foreign eyes tends to be even more brillant than it actually is…after eight years in this country, some days I feel right at home yet some days I feel like I have just got off the plane! Anyhow, I am rambling…ahhh…a friend of mine recently revamped his blog…if you got time, check him out at Samarai Soapbox
Enjoy that dancing!

Sorry for the wait…
Enjoy!

Well, it is has been about two weeks since I made a video. This is footage from Taiwan, the song is an old Taiwanese folk song, it really picks up near the end. I got some great footage from Taipei, I will be posting it and plenty of stuff from Japan over the next couple weeks. Ah, and I plan to do a couple greenscreen narration videos soon too! Thanks for all the great comments! Enjoy!

Here is some of the footage of the wedding in Taiwan…
Enjoy!

I haven’t forgotten about the wedding footage, will get it up sooner or later…As for this one, wow, I am happy with it. Bits and pieces of footage from everywhere. Music by oOmiaq. Enjoy!

Sorry about the white bar behind my head…
Dinner!

新年快樂
Happy New Year!!
Music by Mice Parade
Enjoy…

Quick wrap-up about this video…every shot was taken in Taiwan. One thing about the fire balloon…there was a river that emptied into the ocean near the take off…so no need to worry freak arson…Taipei is still there!

I never knew they were that loud…
Music by International Airport
Enjoy!

Well…I am off to get married! There should be a video up sometime the end of this month…or around the first week of March.

Chat with a friend, all the photos in this post were taken by him…check out his stuff here!
Enjoy!

Last spring I did a video almost identical to this one, however in this one I have not slowed down the speed. This was taken in the center of Fukuoka City on a Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

This is a slow one. A lonely night out in the city…not too many shots of actually people, however trust me there are plenty of people in Fukuoka City. One thing about living in a big city, sometimes you can really get so darn lonely…Music by a friend of mine’s band The Hodows. (Hook me up with a link if you got one!)

Enjoy!

My comments: Perhaps this could turn into something big, or perhaps not…if I have time I need to go back and correct the mistakes, there are a few…This video was taken in Solaria Plaza, Fukuoka City on Saturday Feb 27th 2007. I was walking around the city and just happen to come across this fashion show. The story at the bottom is something I threw together last night. Perhaps I will keep it going. The song is by a group called Alpha. I used to listen to this album when I was in college. I still give it a spin it every now and then….

Here is a quick video from Canal City, Fukuoka Japan.
Enjoy!

This video, well, I thought I would go with the top-down thing with this one…a lot of my viewers have a strong interest in Japanese, well at the end of this video there is a quick conversation…very real, very honest…hope you enjoy it.

For my viewers who could care less about the Japanese language…I ask the guys their names, ages, and where are they from…simple stuff…

Enjoy!

Another video from Taiwan. Last summer I put up a video almost identical to this one…enjoy!
Song: Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL by Sufjan Stevens

This one seems to have some kind of heavy meaning laced in there, perhaps its in the song, perhaps its in the images/actions inside the shrine…This footage was taken in Taipei, this temple was located in the middle of the city. While I was in Taiwan, my wife to be and I were super busy running around the city trying to get a million things done in a limited amount of time, we were fortunate to find enough time to swing by this place for a quick video session…
Music by: The Flaming Lips remixed by The Postal Service….(I think)
Enjoy!

This was taken in Southern Taiwan.
Enjoy!

Music by: 檳榔兄弟

Chicken!

This video was taken in a small village in southern Taiwan. If you are interested in the area drop me a comment and I will elaborate on my trip…as for now, I am dead tired, will get back to this in the morning…

Enjoy!

Update: Will be without a net connection for the next week, hmmmm…may have a video up around January 10th…yet if I find a connect, I might post something…

Well, this is the longest video I have ever posted…in a nutshell: I talk about video blogging, I disclose some great news, also I might start selling exclusive Japanese stuff via snail mail…more info to come…
Enjoy!

ahhh…sorry about the crummy bluescreen effect, since the move I have yet to set up a suitable place to shot my narrations…

Well, the move was a success! I am now located in the center of Fukuoka City, if you are in the area, feel free to get in touch. As for this video, well, a winter piece for ya…For those of you who don’t understand Japanese, the song has plenty of wintery imagery in the lyrics…think snow..As for a greenscreen video, Give me a bit of time, unpacking is probably gonna take twice as long as packing did. And another note…I am heading to Taiwan in a couple weeks…so look forward to another set of travel videos…and yes, this time I am going to try stinky tofu…Music by: はっぴいえんど
Enjoy!

Well, I have a bit info to disclose, I am moving to Fukuoka City in a week. I have found a great apartment in the center of the city. I imagine I will be pretty busy over the next 10 days…so chances of a new video popping up might be slim to none…but don’t worry, I am sure I will get something up ASAP. This video is a typical music video, something I have done over and over again…yet each one is different, telling or trying to tell a bit of a story…a nick, a nack…a glimpse into the enigma of life in Kyushu. This music is by Architecture in Helsinki, a band from Australia…great aren’t they?

Enjoy!

Got this song from What’s up in Taiwan, a great podcast…a must subscribe podcast, period.
Hope you dig it…

Have a great weekend!

Go Girl!
Music: スーパーカ　(Supercar)

Well, this video…of all the sub-cultures I think I like this one the best…however it is so not me. What a haircut!
Ahh…that last line I say to him is: Shouldn’t you go and wash your head?
Enjoy!

I have recently started studying Mandarian Chinese, and let me tell, it is tough. I can only vaguely remember how much I struggled with Japanese, now after 8 years here, I take my ability to speak Japanese for granted…man, I hope I don’t wake up tomorrow and find that the forces that be have raped me of my concentrated and focused efforts to acquire this amazing language…
I will keep you in the know about my progress with Chinese, as for now I doubt I could find my way out of the the airport…
Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Japan, Japanese, Bicycle Sidewalk

Enjoy!
Music: The Turtles

Technorati Tags: 水前寺公園, Japan, Japanese, Kumamoto, 紅葉, Fall, Autumn

Every album I have really ever digged always has had a song or two that really throws me off…
As this video will probably do to you…
Hope I don’t scare away any of my loyal viewers…
The noise is actually a bunch of seagulls fighting for a handout from some stranger…the recording has been slowed down and echoed…creepy ehhh…
Freakout!

I watched this one a couple times before I posted it, everytime it sent a bolt of fear, excitement, energy, a boiling fever…so many thoughts engulfed me…perhaps you will experience the same thing…Enjoy!

Music by: My Morning Jacket

Technorati Tags: Japan, Kendo, 楽之館, dojo, keiko, martial arts, Japanese

Back to the basics…Quicktime!

Last time I tried this, I got a whole 5 bucks from Revver, perhaps this one will bring in a bit more cash…hmmm..be sure to click on the ad at the end of the video, that is if it tempts your interest…you’ll be surprised, I have come across some rather interesting sites via the Revver ads…

Red Light District

Warning: This one is loud-
There is so much I wanna say about this video and this song. However I am so tired, I can only think about going up stairs and crashing. I have always wanted to be in band like The Get Up Kids, however I never learned to play the guitar, and I can’t sing. I hope this quick video does a little justice, just a tad of my forever yearning to be part of the scene…enjoy!

Click here for Quicktime
This is about 9 minutes long, I take you thru a handful of music videos I have made, a bit of a behind the scenes commentary…I will give you my thoughts on Revver in a couple days, not sure if I will contine to use it or not…I perfer Quicktime…

This was taken on Sunday night, November 6th 2006 near Tenjin Station. I think the name of this couple is Candy Box…however I have no link…gomen ne…(sorry) I fooled around with After Effects and Final Cut…and this is what I got…oh well, it is years beyond the videos I was making when I started vlogging. Great comment I got on my last video, Morgan…Yes, I totally agree, however it takes time and energy to do that greenscreen intro…yet it is worth it…anyhow…enjoy this Japanese moment, I sure did!

This video, well…I have a lot to say today. Over the last couple months I have slowly been slipping away from the greenscreen thing, however, (don’t worry it is not lost forever) I am just adding new tools to my video editing toolbox…There are so many things I want to get under my thumb, music videos aren’t that tough to make, however as for video editing, I have never had any formal education/classroom experience…point~counterpoint –> vlogging is my best education, learn by doing/making/creating/tweaking nobs, slides, and things that go on and off…I doubt any of these videos would have made it onto MTV back in the day, however I hope they find a way into your day to day life, as I often listen to the song over and over til it sinks just deep enough, and I know its mine…This one is by Bonobo…check em out on iTunes…Anyhow, there are some great clips in the video. I would recommend watching all the way through with an open mind, as I feel the end is well worth the entire watch, (for a variety of reasons) Enjoy!

I thought about doing the greenscreen narration for this video, however I have decided against it. I think this video is very relaxing, yet don’t let it put you to sleep! Japan in autumn, a shrine or two, Kurume City from the mountains. My folks were in Japan for a week, we had a wonderful time. Being a tour guide, a translator, driving all over Kyushu…we had a great time…here is a bit of the footage I took while they were here. If anyone who watches my videos and happens to travel to Kyushu, feel free to drop me an email or a comment, would be more than happy to hook you up with advice on where to go and what to do while in Kyushu…esp. Fukuoka or Saga…The song is by Jim O’Rourke. IF you like this song, I would recommend checking out Tortoise, John McEntire, Sam Prekop, The Sea and Cake…all of these bands are bliss…Anyhow, I had a lot of fun editing this video I hope you enjoy it!

Technorati Tags: Kurume, shrine, spider, Japan, Bicycle Sidewalk, sunshine, demon, water

Well, here is something else, Yosakoi… Not sure about that link…just did a quick search for it…been busy with a handful of things…will be back with something in a few days! Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Yosakoi, Sasebo, Kyushu, dance, Japan, Japanese Dance, よさこい, 九十九島, 日本

Thought I would do a bit of something a bit more relaxing…
Enjoy…
Music: Cat Power

Technorati Tags: Japan, Kyushu, Koi, コスモス, people, Bicycle Sidewalk

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Japan, Bicycle Sidewalk, Japanese, vocab

My Comments: This video was kinda a quick challenge for me…I sat down in front of my computer and timed myself…I do spend a lot of time making these videos and I wanted to try and get one done rather quickly…also I didn’t want to use a song from my stash…this is what you get, after a 90 minute edit…hmmm…get passed the clouds and I think I have an interesting video…until next time, Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: fish, dinner, cat on roof, clouds, Japan, country music, night, wine, nature, Bicycle Sidewalk

My comments: A laid back chat with a group of 20 year olds…A couple funny moments, hope you enjoy this one! Will write more later…

Technorati Tags: Fukuoka, cruising, hanging out, Nakasu, strangers, chat, Bicycle Sidewalk, night

My comments: Give me a minute, wow…God has blessed me with the coolest friends on the planet! You guys are gonna have the best life…it is obvious, man, I hope you don’t mind me broadcasting your best moment to the world…yet, I know will dig this one…I had a great time. Love!

Technorati Tags: Japan, wedding, marriage, international, love, sunny day, flower hair, stone steps, kiss, Bicycle Sidewalk, tattoo

My comments: This video looks so much better on a bigger screen at a better resolution…but oh well…Experimenting with Final Cut Pro…warning: video contains flashes, blips, strobe action…Music by Hot Chip.
Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: October, コスモス, rainbow, Japan, spider, praying mantis, smile, relax, Bicycle Sidewalk, life, Kurume

My comments: This is an extremely short video…I had a wild weekend. I got some great footage, I will be posting bits and pieces during the week. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Yatai, Showa, Fukuoka, Japan, nightlife, Softbank Hawks, Bicycle Sidewalk, wedding

My comments: Well, if I could show you what goes on inside some of the clubs in Nakasu…wow, that would be a video…in this music video you get a taste of the street life…it is such a rush…this footage was taken on a nice autumn night around 10pm. I will be back with a greenscreen video around Monday or Tuesday…I think…Music by Luke Vibert
Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Nakasu, 中州, Japan, nightlife, moon, taxis, lantern, red-light district