Good afternoon from Tokyo, everyone.
Another steemit introduction this time from Japan. Wait, before you leave, give me a shot at this. Have been living in Japan for most of my life. Originally from the US - the US I once formerly knew - deciding to permanently "ex-patriot" in Japan as they say, only I never really considered myself a "patriot" (what a ridiculous concept) to begin with. Going on 26 years next year living in Japan if I remember correctly. Have spent the past 26 years raising a family and working in Japan, traveling all over the Pacific and am beginning to feel the pains and stress of life. Honestly, I have no concept whatsoever of what it must feel like to be an American after all these years living in Japan. It's self-exile. And can somebody please tell me who in the hell Hillary Clinton is?
To begin with as a sort of introduction from Japan, what are the two things most thought about by men? The first is sex. And so, steemit guys and men, do I have some stories to share about Japanese women, and to give you an intro, how about first an image to tantalize you? Those stories will have to come later though since I am new to steemit. I'll leave the second thing most men are interested up to you.
Only just recently started educating myself and working on acquiring crypto-currencies which seems to have taken up most of my online time recently. Approaching that age when you seriously begin to think about what kind of finances it will take to survive old age until death which has certainly forced me to reevaluate my time spent online.
Since I mentioned being online, it reminded me that here in Japan Pokémon Go started about ten days ago when it was released here in Japan. When the ap game was released, I discussed starting up a wager on how the first Japanese player of Pokémon Go would be killed, either by stepping out in front of an oncoming taxi, or walking through a train crossing. Wager is still open for anyone interested since I read that so far, 6 people have been killed and 43 injured playing that goddamn Pokémon Go game.
It's now August here in Tokyo with today's temperature around 33C with high humidity. Anyone like beer brewed from Japan? I do. Yebisu was the first beer brewing company established in Japan back during the 1880s if I recall correctly. Sure have had my share of this excellent beer over the years. This beer will definitely knock your socks off into the river. Hold on until I have a few swigs....
...of this cold Yebisu beer.
Anyone ever attempt doing an online business when you completely miss the tech growth and now with crypto-currencies becoming so popular? Spent an entire year eight hours a day practically trying to get something going online to generate an income. Sure discovered a rude awakening on that effort. The learning curve is sometimes insurmountable. It's like George Carlin said once: "Here it comes, here it comes, it's coming - oh shit, it's gone." That's how I feel: "Oh shit, it's gone." Living in Japan all these years has placed me in a world of my own creation. Creation can sometimes be counter-productive too. That's why I am back trying to get an online revenue stream going, or streams going including with steemit. Came across steemit a few days ago, grabbed a cold beer (Sapporo), and started studying.
Excuse me a moment, need to get some more free Bitcoin on this system I am running...
...alright I am back, anyway, over the years have spent a lot of time peddling all over Tokyo on my German-designed bd-1 Birdie collapsible bicycle. Have been down a lot of narrow streets and roads and along river banks on this bd-1 few if any foreigners living in Japan even know exist - Japanese as well now that I think about it. I used to document my rides blogging about them but subsequently stopped because of the unproductive time spent putting my thoughts on the blog along with images of my bd-1 Birdie bicycle. This image was taken a few weeks ago on a hot July day while out on the bd-1.
Over the past 26 years in Japan, I have found myself doing some pretty unbelievable work to survive here all the way from teaching English (last resort) to rebuilding large steam boilers. It was sometimes a lot of fun watching the expression on a Japanese manager's face at a large manufacturing facility to react to me crawl out of a large steam boiler with an acetylene torch in one hand and a steel pipe bender in the other caked in dust and grease.
On another unsuccessful attempt to make a go of it in business, I went to Qatar on several business trips to represent several companies from Japan. We tried setting up a sales network for some very sophisticated Japanese manufactured freezers for the hotel and restaurant industry in Qatar, high tech scaffolding, fire extinguishers, resin for constructing museum aquariums, Japanese-manufactured construction equipment and pre-packaged frozen sushi. If anyone has seen video clips of that massive artificial port being constructed south of Doha, Qatar you will comprehend the market for the products we were trying to sell in Qatar.
See this image below of the Japanese female in the kimono? It was painted by a Japanese man who is a friend and a neighbor. When I went to Qatar on my first trip, I took this painting with me and presented it to our business partner in Qatar who was one of the son's of the Emir of Qatar. Maybe I'll go into the story at some point in the future on steemit. Who would have ever thought an American going to Qatar and meeting with influential company executives in Qatar representing Japanese corporations? On one cold call, I walked right into the offices of the president of the largest trading company in Qatar. I could not believe how easy it was to gain access to powerful company executives while in Qatar on three trips compared to gaining access to executives here in Japan. This son of the Emir of Qatar turned out to be a real conceited prick just as you would expect from such wealth. Hope he enjoys fantasizing over Japanese babes he'll never have access to. I was planning on escorting him in Japan on a discreet trip he had planned. Never worked out. Neither did our efforts in Qatar.
Presently, residence is located on the very western edge of Tokyo and looking out my fifth floor balcony window, the mountains can be seen going off in the distance. It's quite a decent place to live having access to a large river a 5 minute walk out the door. Over the years, I have spent a lot of time down by the river working out and swimming in the river. My Japanese neighbors haven't ever inquired about my being here in Japan, or why I have been here all these years. Most Japanese today are quite indifferent to foreigners and more often than not seem to not notice me even being around.
And of course, what would an introduction from Japan be without a good image of Mount Fuji? Over the years, I have taken some fairly astonishing pictures of Mount Fuji - and yes, have climbed the mountain several times - being an avid photographer. I am currently equipped with a top of the line Nikon digital camera with several lenses including my recent purchase of a Sigma 80mm-200mm lens.
Finally, if anyone plans a trip to Japan, be sure to stop in at our newly opened motorcycle repair and sales shop opened February, 2015. My son is a professional motorcycle mechanic licensed and insured in Japan. He opened his shop after ten years as an apprentice. He probably knows more about Ducati motorcycles here in Japan than almost anyone, and if anyone can figure out the mechanical or electrical problems on motorcycles, especially Ducati, he certainly can. Want to know what courage is? Having a son who opens a motorcycle shop right in the middle of Japan's current dysfunctional and chaotic economic destabilization, massive debt obligations and quantitative easing.
Ducati sales in Japan would probably be worth an entire story on its own considering our experiences with Ducati motorcycle owners in Japan. Some real laughs. For now though, all the best everyone at steemit, and looking forward to a mutually beneficial and productive partnership with everyone. My son services all motorcycle makes including all Japanese manufactured motorcycles, Ducati, Triumph and Harley Davidson, so stop on by, we speak both Japanese and English.
Looking forward to developing a local existence on steemit as your local Japan resident with news, updates observations and interesting tidbits not often noticed of events from Japan. Last night, the rental agency and landowner across the street from my son's motorcycle shop, invited us along for a company dinner with two of his employees. Last night we had shyabu-shyabu (thinly sliced beef dipped in a hot broth and immediately eaten) of beef raised in Japan and some of the best osake I have had in years served cold. Delightful evening. And the landlord picked up the bill; because I am an experienced discriminator in Japan.