An American Bodybuilder in Japan

[Wynn]

I have quite a bit I want to ask/say/contribute just based off your life experiences and posts here. I'm from the North Shore...Salem area. Japan has been on my bucket-list for ages and I mean that in the many years time frame now.

I have been brainwashed (perhaps just highly influenced) by their culture more than any other. It looks like we have a lot in common. When I was a wee lad, Mario was more well known than Micky Mouse so it started young.

Let me ask you a question, have you kept up with Takeshi's Castle?

That was a joke for the probably oh...99% of people who have never heard of Takeshi's Castle. It's used as the prime example of just how wacky Japanese TV is. In reality, Japanese TV is far funnier for more mundane reasons than it's wackiness.

Since I have never been to Japan and will probably not be able to count myself as lucky as you with the preemptive hiring (although I am very open to it), I get my fix via video games, movies (Ichi the killer?....you mentioned meeting a certain director....incredible), and youtube.

I don't know if you've heard of Chris Abroad. He's a UK guy living in Japan for, I want to say going on 10 years now. He has a couple Japanese friends who are straight up characters. I have a million questions for you but for now I will say check out Chris's Youtube channel if you want some laughter in your life. He got his start as, and you will never guess this, an English teacher. He has a few video's taking about his experiences teaching and I bet you would probably die of laughter from similar experiences to his.

I love this thread and happy to see you took the time to start it.

Takeshi's Castle

I like that! His content will come in handy as well:

12 Things You Should Know Before Coming to Japan

 

[Wynn]

Whoever did this...


Stealthy Thieves Stole $9,400 From Japan’s Ninja Museum

A popular ninja museum in Japan was caught off guard when stealthy thieves broke into its office and ran away with $9,400.

The staff at the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum, a tourist attraction in central Japan, called the police as the alarm set off at 1:15 am on Monday, August 19.

But it was too late as the thieves left with a safe containing one million yen (about $ 9,400) collected from admission fees over a busy weekend when the museum got over a thousand visitors.

It took the thieves only three minutes to lift a safe believed to have weighed 150 kilograms (330 lbs) out of a one-story wooden office, according to local media.

Police said that the museum’s office was pried open, possibly with a crowbar.

"We are very disappointed as we have just been slowly recovering from the coronavirus effects on our museum," a museum staff told Japanese state broadcaster NHK.

Located in the city of Iga, the museum is famous for featuring a traditional ninja house and offering an interactive experience to visitors like throwing _shuriken_—a ninja’s iconic star-shaped weapon.

According to Kyodo news agency, Iga is home to two of the most renowned ninja clans. The ninjas were black-clad warriors of feudal Japan who are known for their stealthy moves and surprise attacks on enemy forces.

Stealthy Thieves Stole $9,400 From Japan’s Ninja Museum

It took only three minutes for the thieves to carry out their mission.

www.vice.com

 

[hawkmoon]

Whoever did this...


Stealthy Thieves Stole $9,400 From Japan’s Ninja Museum

A popular ninja museum in Japan was caught off guard when stealthy thieves broke into its office and ran away with $9,400.

The staff at the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum, a tourist attraction in central Japan, called the police as the alarm set off at 1:15 am on Monday, August 19.

But it was too late as the thieves left with a safe containing one million yen (about $ 9,400) collected from admission fees over a busy weekend when the museum got over a thousand visitors.

It took the thieves only three minutes to lift a safe believed to have weighed 150 kilograms (330 lbs) out of a one-story wooden office, according to local media.

Police said that the museum’s office was pried open, possibly with a crowbar.

"We are very disappointed as we have just been slowly recovering from the coronavirus effects on our museum," a museum staff told Japanese state broadcaster NHK.

Located in the city of Iga, the museum is famous for featuring a traditional ninja house and offering an interactive experience to visitors like throwing _shuriken_—a ninja’s iconic star-shaped weapon.

According to Kyodo news agency, Iga is home to two of the most renowned ninja clans. The ninjas were black-clad warriors of feudal Japan who are known for their stealthy moves and surprise attacks on enemy forces.

Stealthy Thieves Stole $9,400 From Japan’s Ninja Museum

It took only three minutes for the thieves to carry out their mission.

www.vice.com

That's awful. Only upside is the museum itself wasn't damaged or looted.
This will sound racist, but most of the thefts over the past few years I have seen on the news are related to Chinese.

Some people readily take advantage of the relatively low security in Japan that is a by-product of trust and responsibility.

 

[Bleed]

Chris is hands down one of the most self aware and funny guys I have seen on Youtube.

He perfectly enshrines in his videos what anyone with experience in Japan has seen for themselves.

His whole bit on getting fat and his students asking "When did you become a Bigface?!"

I almost fell out of my chair with that one.

I like that! His content will come in handy as well:

12 Things You Should Know Before Coming to Japan

 

[Bleed]

Not to make light of thieves or stealing but this quote here "Located in the city of Iga, the museum is famous for featuring a traditional ninja house and offering an interactive experience to visitors like throwing _shuriken_—a ninja’s iconic star-shaped weapon. According to Kyodo news agency, Iga is home to two of the most renowned ninja clans. The ninjas were black-clad warriors of feudal Japan who are known for their stealthy moves and surprise attacks on enemy forces." is highly disputed as factual.

I actually just looked this up yesterday and it turns out the term ninja wasnt even used until the 20th century and I think it may have been a mistranslation. The actual term is shinobi. I am not going to claim expertise on kanji or how it's read but according to the Shogunate, the Kanji for ninja and shinobi are the same and the only 2 words that translate to English are ninja and shinobi. Shinobi being the widely accepted and far longer used.

The shogunate is another great resource on Youtube for Japanese history. He works with with authors on separating the fact from the fiction on all things Japanese history (samurai, castles, people, wars, etc). Someone may know different and this guy could be completely wrong. Check this out if interesting at all.

That's awful. Only upside is the museum itself wasn't damaged or looted.
This will sound racist, but most of the thefts over the past few years I have seen on the news are related to Chinese.

Some people readily take advantage of the relatively low security in Japan that is a by-product of trust and responsibility.

 

[Wynn]

Staying at a Traditional Japanese Inn

 

[hawkmoon]

Here is a video by an acquaintance of mine who was an Olympic wrestler and worked as a trainer at my gym, where I met him.
He is now trying his hand at bodybuilding, having done his first show with me last autumn.
Big, tall kid for a Japanese, but needs to bring up weak bodyparts and learn how to get in shape, pose, etc.

Nice kid, humble, a bit of a goof. Katsuya Kitamura

 

[alfresco]

That's awful. Only upside is the museum itself wasn't damaged or looted.
This will sound racist, but most of the thefts over the past few years I have seen on the news are related to Chinese.

Some people readily take advantage of the relatively low security in Japan that is a by-product of trust and responsibility.

Hey Hawk . . . bet you have not been to the Samurai Sword Museum in Tokyo. Some real
treasures in there. Just beautiful if you are interested in swords, metallurgy and craftsmanship
and not a guard in sight.

 

[hawkmoon]

Hey Hawk . . . bet you have not been to the Samurai Sword Museum in Tokyo. Some real
treasures in there. Just beautiful if you are interested in swords, metallurgy and craftsmanship
and not a guard in sight.

Actually, I haven't. I am terrible at getting around and seeing the sights, etc.
I am interested though, and should go.
Being a collector of Grand Seiko watches and their "zaratsu" black polishing I wear modern Japanese steel craftsmanship often and am always impressed by the attention to detail.

My wife laments my immobility, though after near 10 years of marriage it is now more of a joke between us, and she just teases me.
She got me to Kyoto, when after living here for years and year I had not visited

 

[alfresco]

Actually, I haven't. I am terrible at getting around and seeing the sights, etc.
I am interested though, and should go.
Being a collector of Grand Seiko watches and their "zaratsu" black polishing I wear modern Japanese steel craftsmanship often and am always impressed by the attention to detail.

My wife laments my immobility, though after near 10 years of marriage it is now more of a joke between us, and she just teases me.
She got me to Kyoto, when after living here for years and year I had not visited

The Japanese seemed to excel at the production of high quality steel. At one point
in time, they made the best guns in the world and then the reverted back to the
sword.

When else in history has a civilization returned to an inferior weapon? Obviously
they returned to the gun after a few hundred years (?) but when given the
opportunity to use a gun, clearly a superior weapon, they were not an acceptable
weapon in warfare. (Think culture and honor.). A very good book on the subject,
I am looking at it now, a first edition, very expensive and rare: Giving Up The Gun
by Noel Perrin. Interesting time in Japanese history.

Back to steel . . . when I was forging knives, they were my go-to steel. I think the
US may have caught up but not back then. You could feel the difference on the anvil.

 

[USMuscle9403]

The Japanese have a really fascinating history of blade making and edge refinement. In fact they probably paved the way for many of the high quality steels we see today, as well as honing methods. Look up how a REAL traditional katana is made, they sometimes spend weeks just going through dozens of different (naturally occurring) stones to hone them. Slow, meticulous, perfect. Very cool stuff. I'm a blade and steel geek and the Japanese never fail to impress. I'm also big on their style of chef's knives compared to more Western (think Germany) style blades.

 

[alfresco]

The Japanese have a really fascinating history of blade making and edge refinement. In fact they probably paved the way for many of the high quality steels we see today, as well as honing methods. Look up how a REAL traditional katana is made, they sometimes spend weeks just going through dozens of different (naturally occurring) stones to hone them. Slow, meticulous, perfect. Very cool stuff. I'm a blade and steel geek and the Japanese never fail to impress. I'm also big on their style of chef's knives compared to more Western (think Germany) style blades.

Correct. I have always been fascinated by tool steels and samurai swords and
the laminating process, the folding over and over leaving a core / edge of
hardened steel. The 'water' marks on the blades I saw at the museum in Japan
(the British Museum may have a better collection) were remarkable, varied and
beautiful to behold.

I made a kitchen knife and I polished it using traditional Japaneses whetstones of
various grades. Took me forever, days, and got a bad case of tendentious by
doing so. Repetitive motion. But the finish was eventually like a mirror.

My mother still has the knife and I check the edge on it periodically, still sharp
as a razor but I don't think I used Japanese steel.

 

[USMuscle9403]

Tojiro DP is a great starter Japanese knife brand for any who may be interested. Give it a shot. VG10 steel, which is also my favorite steel in a pocket knife. Get a couple nice, general use knives. A paring style knife and a moderate sized Gyoto. Not much you can't do with a Gyoto and Deba for bigger tasks.

 

[Wynn]

Looks like a fun YouTube channel

I have had several Kitkat flavors, but always like Matcha best. - big matcha fan in general.
Melon, strawberry, mango, grape, etc...all too sweet for me. Hojicha tea flavor is good thoguh.

I didn't find the Mocha KitKats. They are not out until November. I did get the Mint/Dark chocolate ones.

I just saw this on my facebook feed:

Reese's Snack Cakes Are Coming To Convenience Stores This Winter

Hostess, Ding Dongs, and all of the other snack cake makers in the world are getting some new competition from legacy chocolate brand Reese's.

Starting this winter, Reese's will begin selling packages that contain Reese's Snack Cakes.

These aren't the same as a filled cake like a Twinkie, which may be the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, these cakes consist of a chocolate cake base and a peanut butter creme on top, with the entire thing enrobed in chocolate.

It's more similar in structure to a Gansito, or if you took the top cake layer off of a Suzy Q, if you're looking for a more accurate comparison.

The inspiration for these cakes appears to be a morning cake, like coffee cake, that you can eat for breakfast. Reese's is hoping through marketing tactics that more people will consume this for a morning snack or even breakfast, rather than the snack time we often associate Twinkies and other snack cakes with.

Reese's new snack cakes are heading to convenience store shelves nationwide this December, with a pack of two cakes selling for $1.99.

Reese's Snack Cakes Are Coming To Convenience Stores This Winter

Reese's is creating a line of chocolate covered Reese's snack cakes based on the iconic treat that will hit grocery stores this winter.

www.foodbeast.com

 

[USMuscle9403]

I didn't find the Mocha KitKats. They are not out until November. I did get the Mint/Dark chocolate ones.

I just saw this on my facebook feed:

Reese's Snack Cakes Are Coming To Convenience Stores This Winter

Hostess, Ding Dongs, and all of the other snack cake makers in the world are getting some new competition from legacy chocolate brand Reese's.

Starting this winter, Reese's will begin selling packages that contain Reese's Snack Cakes.

These aren't the same as a filled cake like a Twinkie, which may be the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, these cakes consist of a chocolate cake base and a peanut butter creme on top, with the entire thing enrobed in chocolate.

It's more similar in structure to a Gansito, or if you took the top cake layer off of a Suzy Q, if you're looking for a more accurate comparison.

The inspiration for these cakes appears to be a morning cake, like coffee cake, that you can eat for breakfast. Reese's is hoping through marketing tactics that more people will consume this for a morning snack or even breakfast, rather than the snack time we often associate Twinkies and other snack cakes with.

Reese's new snack cakes are heading to convenience store shelves nationwide this December, with a pack of two cakes selling for $1.99.

Reese's Snack Cakes Are Coming To Convenience Stores This Winter

Reese's is creating a line of chocolate covered Reese's snack cakes based on the iconic treat that will hit grocery stores this winter.

www.foodbeast.com

I adore anything Reeses.

This is not good...

For my waistline, that is.

 

[totalrecomp]

I didn't find the Mocha KitKats. They are not out until November. I did get the Mint/Dark chocolate ones.

I just saw this on my facebook feed:

Reese's Snack Cakes Are Coming To Convenience Stores This Winter

Hostess, Ding Dongs, and all of the other snack cake makers in the world are getting some new competition from legacy chocolate brand Reese's.

Starting this winter, Reese's will begin selling packages that contain Reese's Snack Cakes.

These aren't the same as a filled cake like a Twinkie, which may be the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, these cakes consist of a chocolate cake base and a peanut butter creme on top, with the entire thing enrobed in chocolate.

It's more similar in structure to a Gansito, or if you took the top cake layer off of a Suzy Q, if you're looking for a more accurate comparison.

The inspiration for these cakes appears to be a morning cake, like coffee cake, that you can eat for breakfast. Reese's is hoping through marketing tactics that more people will consume this for a morning snack or even breakfast, rather than the snack time we often associate Twinkies and other snack cakes with.

Reese's new snack cakes are heading to convenience store shelves nationwide this December, with a pack of two cakes selling for $1.99.

Reese's Snack Cakes Are Coming To Convenience Stores This Winter

Reese's is creating a line of chocolate covered Reese's snack cakes based on the iconic treat that will hit grocery stores this winter.

www.foodbeast.com

The world needs Reeses for breakfast like it needs a hole in the head. "Our corporate goal is to get you fat slobs to start eating a version of our candy for breakfast!"

Not to derail, this is a GREAT THREAD!

 

[Wynn]

The Pastry Chef Adding to Japan’s 400+ Flavors of Kit Kat

 

[maldorf]

Does anyone here have battle ready Japanese swords? I've always been interested in that. I think most battle ready swords are not sharpened for obvious reasons.

 

[hawkmoon]

Not sure if I posted this already, but a couple guys in my UK office saw the article on the new Gundam Museum in Yokohama.

I haven't been there - not a big fan of Gundam really - but I frequent the shopping and entertainment area in Tokyo bay called Odaiba.
They are on their second life-sized Gundam robot now.

 

[tripleOT]

Not sure if I posted this already, but a couple guys in my UK office saw the article on the new Gundam Museum in Yokohama.

I haven't been there - not a big fan of Gundam really - but I frequent the shopping and entertainment area in Tokyo bay called Odaiba.
They are on their second life-sized Gundam robot now.


View attachment 121192

Does it actually function? Move/walk?