#Nagoya navigation

[beingjellybeans]

Navigating Nagoya: Must-see sights in and around Japan's historic city

Nagoya, Japan’s fourth-largest city, often remains overshadowed by the glamour of Tokyo, the cultural richness of Kyoto, and the hustle and bustle of Osaka. Yet, Nagoya is definitely a hidden gem, a vibrant city waiting to be explored. Here, history mingles seamlessly with modernity, offering a unique travel experience which I discovered when I joined the international trip qualifiers of Sun…

[akkivee]

made it to the hotel!!!! i’ve been up for over 24 hrs i’m exhausted lol 😭😭😭

[arbcards]

Amazing Amusement Park: Unevolved

I'll Use This Ball! - 【Kuko Harai】

A Game in Nagoya - 【Ramuda Amemura】

Standup and Knock 'Em Down Comedian - 【Sasara Nurude】

See Evolved Cards

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[strugglingfloralclerk]

Influence

Summary: (TodorokixOC) Sometimes it takes a little bit of blackmail and good old fashioned vandalism to get friends out of sour moods. TW: Implies domestic abuse/violence, implied self harm, and vandalism. Discretion advised.

🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚

Todoroki knew his family history was overwhelming and that was the polite way to describe it. He didn't like to broadcast that information if he didn't have to, but now...all of Japan knew.

Dabi was Touya and Touya was Dabi, and it made no sense that Endeavor tried to replicate his 'perfect heir' project not once but twice. The absolute nerve of that man.

For the past week, different members of Class 1-A tried to get Todoroki to talk about it. They wanted him to express some angry words about Endeavor and move on. 

Momo suggested he talk to the campus counselor. Toru suggested family therapy without Endeavor. Midoriya recommended Todoroki write a strongly worded letter to Endeavor about his shit parenting style. Bakugo told him to get over it.

Todoroki felt sick to his stomach. The trauma never ended, it only accelerated.

"Stop it." Taika's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Her pretty face marred by the mean expression that settled into her features. "Todoroki, this has gone on long enough."

He wanted to say something smart, something sharp at her command but he had nothing. 

"Get up." Taika ungracefully snatched Todoroki's wallet from his nightstand, and waved it front of him.

"No." Was the young man's reply as he settled further into the comfort of his bed.  What? Was she bribing him with his own money? Was she being funny?

Taika pulled out an extremely sharp pair of kitchen scissors from the pocket of her old highschool hoodie. 

Todoroki cocked his head at her, a frown cemented on his features as he felt both curious and uneasy at the sight of the scissors so close to his wallet.

"Do whatever." He replied lowly. 

Taika didn't miss a beat. "Alright, since you gave me permission." She opened the wallet and picked up Todoroki's shiny, provisional hero lisence and tapped the edge of the card with the scissors. It was easy and damn near painless to get new bank cards-getting a new hero license, not so much.

Not even rich kids could expedite that process. And Taika knew, that Todoroki knew that.

Todoroki's eyes finally sparked with an emotion that wasn't despair. "What are you doing?"

Taika flashed a playful grin at him and tapped the license with the kitchen scissors again. "Following instructions and doing whatever." She placed the card in between sharp, metal legs, and cleared her throat as she readied to give the license a eulogy before the first cut.  

"To Todoroki's hard work. It is a shame his daddy issues caused him to abandon his dreams of becoming a better hero."

Todoroki suddenly rushed toward Taika, his hand reached to yank the card out of her grip; Taika merely leaned away and held his provisional license behind her back. The scissors clattered to the floor of his dorm.

"Taika, I'm not playing." Todoroki warned, his voice a mixture of anger and determination 

She could work with that much better than despair. Taika matched his tone, "You think I'm playing?"

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"This is stupid." Todoroki muttered under his breath as they exited from the train station. Taika forced him into one of Sero's black and yellow hoodies, Toru's costume glasses, and Midoriya's All Might beanie right before she forced him to go on a 'self-care' journey for the night. 

"Your attitude is stupid." Taika shot back with ease as they navigated through throngs of people. She gave him a half frown. "Look, just try to get out of your head?"

Todoroki blanked; his eyes narrowed as if he heard a bad joke. "You want me to get out of my head?" 

"Don't overthink it, Todoroki." Taika did not have time to explain expressions and figures of speech right now, nor did she want to. Her eyes scanned the busy streets of Nagoya until she saw a convenience store roughly a block down the street; she lowered the bill of her baseball cap.

Todoroki felt a nudge and when he looked over he was greeted by a neatly folded (and possibly ironed?) bills right in his face. There was either a deeply mischievious or menacing glint deep in Taika's eyes. His mind was both alarmed but also captivated. If Taika stayed quiet with that focused, intense look in her eyes, Todoroki may have figured the emotion out himself. 

Alas. Taika decided to boss the sullen boy around. "Go inside and buy two egg cartons."

"...Why?" Todoroki felt offended; who was this uppity girl who decided to disrupt his night and command him to do such a menial task?  It all felt like waste, Todoroki grumbled inwardly.

"Because if you don't I'm going to put your provisional license through a shredder then use those shredded bits to start up a barbeque." Taika smiled her best smile, the one she knew that especially pissed off people. "I hope you like defeat as a side dish."

He narrowed his heterochromatic eyes at her and she merely arched an eyebrow at him and waved the money in his face. Too much like an owner that taunted their dog to play fetch if you asked Todoroki!

A tense silence settled between the two friends. 

"You know what, make it three cartons." The purple haired beauty reiterated calmly. 

Todoroki snatched the folded money; a quiet pout of frustration accompanied him as he did the little errand. I could be doing anything else. His mind wandered a bit to the unread books he ordered, to the new training techniques he could have perfected  by now, he could have watched a few soapy dramadies with Fuyumi too. He hadn't thought about the little things in his life he actually enjoyed until now. 

As Todoroki gathered the eggs, he felt taken aback for a brief moment as he exited the store.  The way he exhaled was shakey and filled to the brim with anger. He felt betrayed, kind of. His eyes fixated on the giant billboard of Endeavor high above him.

"I thought we were friends, Taika." Todoroki's jaw tightened in what could only be described as pure and utter vexation. 

Taika moved toward him; her hands sternly held onto his forearms; her eyes fixated on some location beyond them; and Todoroki suddenly found himself on the rooftop opposite of his father's billboard.

Taika nudged at him, a softer expression allowed to him as she gestured to the bag with their supplies, the tips of the fingers brushed together for a moment.  "Let's egg his billboard."  

It was insanse how warm and sincere that sounded but also.. wasn't that illegal?

"Wait," Todoroki's eyes shifted around as he looked for Pro Heroes or sidekicks in the area. He didn't see any but that didn't mean they weren't around. "Won't we get in trouble, Taika?"

"We'll only get in trouble if we get caught and we're not going to get caught." Taika added, as she handed Todoroki one of the egg cartons. "Or if one of us is a narcs, and I am not a narc. Are you, Todoroki?"

Todoroki thoughtfully examined the eggs before his eyes cut back to the billboard of Endeavor. 

He didn't notice the small sigh of relief and the way Taika's shoulders relaxed once she saw the first egg crack right on the billboard. Nor did he notice the way she smiled softly at him once she saw a faint grin on Todoroki's features.  She couldn't recall any time recently he smiled. 

🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚

If someone told Todoroki Shoto that he and the teleporter were going to be close friends the first time he met her; he'd think that was a backhanded insult. Now, Todoroki would merely shrug and acknowledge the accuracy of that statement. Which was better than how Bakugo would've reacted truth be told.

Before tonight, he never vandalized anything. Now after tonight, not only did  Todoroki vandalize three different Endeavor billboards, but he evaded building security. Twice. Maybe he should have felt guilty, or rather in fact, Todoroki knew he should have felt guilty. For the first time since finding out, Todoroki felt like he could breathe. 

I think...I think it'll be hard for me to adjust to the changes I may face, Todoroki thought as the invisible weight burried deep in chest evaporated. His eyes casted over to Taika, a genuine smile bloomed on his handsome face as the purple haired girl deligently kept an eye out. But with friends like Taika, I think I'll be okay. 

The pair huddled close under the cover of a hearty bush until it was all clear to come out.

"Don't worry." She whispered in perhaps the softest tone Todoroki's ever heard from her. "They're not cops, they won't be as thorough trying to find us right now. They have to report back to the building. Most they'll maybe do is file a report that'll go nowhere because they didn't even get a good look at us."

Todoroki tilted his head at her . His smiled faltered. "How do you know that?" Concern and curiosity burned behind his eyes. 

Taika blinked at the supposed Prince of UA. Why was he so dense sometimes!?

"Todoroki, you should know that too. We have an exam for our 'Civil Procedures and Rights' class on Tuesday!"

Oh, shit. Todoroki rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I guess I was busy wallowing, huh?"

Taika rolled her eyes at him, "Yeah, but you're done now. Right, Todoroki?"

His body eased at those words. Todoroki expected some lengthy lecture from Taika, but the few words she used was more than enough.

"Hn." He nodded curtly at her. 

There were a small series of follow up questions for Todoroki after that 'Hn'.

Was he sleeping well, if at all? Was he only sustaining himself with instant ramen? When was the last time he spoke to Fuyumi and his mother? Was he drinking enough water? Her last question threw him for a loop.

"You're not...you're not a danger to yourself, right?" Taika's voice still a whisper as a they carefully exited their leafy fortress. 

Todoroki halted and his blood went cold. "What?"

Taika doubled down with an explanation. Well, a partial one anyways. Tonight wasn't really about her and her issues.

"I knew a few kids in a similar situation to you, Todoroki, when I was growing up." Taika left names out but she pictured a young face or three in her mind's eye. Her heart broke quietly for the friends she lost. "It's not pity or paranoia, Todoroki." She was covering all the bases; being thorough. 

Todoroki wondered if Taika knew he could see the way there was a small spark of fear in her eyes. He heard the slight way her voice tried to shake as she spoke.

He always admired Taika for being so resilient. Scared, nervous, or otherwise, Taika pushed through and here she was, trying to help him do the same as well. It humbled Todoroki.  

"No." Todoroki answered calmly as he fell into step with Taika's pace. "I promise."

Relief rolled through her neck and shoulders as the stress of her worry dissolved. She shifted to a different topic, happy and sure of Todoroki's reply.

"Now," Taika reached into her back jean pocket and pointed Todoroki's precious provisional license at his face. "The next time someone holds your license, ID, or any other important documents from you, you're suppose to report that to the police. Don't fall for something like that again, 'Roki. Imagine if someone with worse intentions tried to blackmail you?"

Todoroki's face wrinkled into a mix bewilderement and awe at the teleporter, a small amused grin tugged ever so slightly on the corners of his mouth.  He plucked his license away from the teleporter. "You do know that you are a bad influence, right?"

Taika pretended to take offense; she pointed at herself with a faux look of innocence. "Me? I'm a saint."

Todoroki knew damn good and well saints would not encourage him to pour sugar and salt into Endeavor's protein powder. 

[yyh4ever]

Netflix Japan is holding many events and lotteries to celebrate the Yu Yu Hakusho Live Action. Don't forget to follow Netflix Japan X Official Account.

December 13, 2023 (Eve of the World Premiere)

Live Streaming of the Premier Event

As I posted before, a Yu Yu Hakusho Event featuring the cast and screening of the first episode will take place in Tokyo, on the Evening of December 13. Fortunately, for those who didn't win tickets, they will be broadcasting it live on YouTube, X, and TikTok. It starts at 18h30 (JST).

Nobuyuki Sakuma and Suzu Yamanouchi will be live broadcasting the entire event on the eve of the global distribution!

Navigator: Nobuyuki Sakuma, Suzu Yamanouchi

MC: Akihisa Shoguchi

Reporter: Hisanori Yoshida

Speakers (cast and director): Takumi Kitamura, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongo, Shuhei Uesugi, Sei Shiraishi, Kotone Furukawa, Ai Mikami, Hiroya Shimizu, Keita Machida, Meiko Kaji, Kenichi Takito, Go Ayano, Director Sho Tsukikawa. Good news is that Kotone Furukawa (Botan) has been confirmed on stage too.

Win a trip around the world 🌏

Reply the campaign post that will be posted on Netflix Japan X account at 19:00 (JST) on December 13 with the hashtag #世界一周霊丸 (around the world spirit gun).

The prize is a 16-day trip around the world (4 nights in each city+breakfast): departing from Tokyo (Narita or Haneda Airport) - New York - Rio de Janeiro - London - Bangkok - back to Tokyo (Narita or Haneda Airport).

Unfortunately, according to the rules, this lottery is only for residents of Japan. I wish they were advertising and working together with other Netflix around the world, like they've been doing with One Piece.

Edit: Takumi Kitamura (Yusuke Urameshi) shot a spirit gun during the live action premier that traversed the world in real time.

December 14, 2013 (Day of World Premier on Netflix)

Binge-watching the 5 episodes

Starting at 19:00 (JST) on Thursday, December 14, a Watch Party to watch all 5 episodes at once will be held on X.

All you have to do is add the hashtag #幽遊白書一気見 (yu yu hakusho binge-watching) to your posts when writing your impressions about the series. Many original goods such as posters and special boxes will be given to a total of 100 people by lottery.

Yu Yu Hakusho Ad-Truck Campaign until December 17

All you have to do is find an ad-truck! 🚛

120 people will be randomly selected to win a gift code for 3 months of Netflix. How to apply:

❶ Follow @NetflixJP

❷ Post a photo or video of one of the 12 character trucks with the hashtag #幽白トラック (Yuhaku Truck) until December 17, 23h59 (JST).

Departing from Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Hakata on December 4, the trucks will be touring around various places until December 10, then they will be heading to Tokyo on December 11. They are scheduled to run around Shibuya from December 13 to 14, and within Tokyo from December 15 to 17.

Sapporo: Kazuma Kuwabara/Koenma/Toguro Brother

Nagoya: Kurama/Toguro Brother/Genkai

Osaka: Yusuke Urameshi/Keiko Yukimura/Botan

Hakata (Fukuoka): Hiei/Sakyo/Yukina

Infiltrating the filming location of Yu Yu Hakusho Cast

Special photos of the cast taken by Maciej Kucia (AVGVST) will be released on December 14.

The main cast of the live-action will be on the special edition cover of the famous anan magazine. There's going to be a 16-page special feature about the live action, including exclusive photos and interviews with the cast and staff.

In solo interviews and roundtable discussions with the four main cast members, they were asked about their thoughts and feelings when they were chosen to appear in the series, behind-the-scenes stories of shooting, and their thoughts to take on the challenge of a work that has been loved for many years.

In addition to the four guys, anan also interviewed Go Ayano and Kenichi Takito, who play the Toguro Brothers, the biggest enemies who have many fans from the original work. They talk about the difficulties and joys of playing characters that required highly difficult acting as they filmed using CG.

In an interview with director Sho Tsukikawa , he was asked about his thoughts on producing "Yu Yu Hakusho" in this era.

Here's a sneak peek of the guys during the magazine cover shot.

It's so cute when they all start chanting: "Yu Yu Hakusho". At the end, Kanata Hongo says Hiei's famous line: do not underestimate the power of the evil eye.

Edit: Netflix Japan released special photos of the actors:

Yusuke Vs Younger Toguro Mural Showdown

"The showdown between Yusuke and Younger Toguro will break out in Shibuya!? Witness the spirit gun!"

I am curious to see that. From what we've seen from the trailer, Yusuke VS Toguro will be an epic confrontation!

Edit: The mural is at the Shibuya Crossing. They used blue lights to simulate Yusuke's spirit gun, and on the other side there's Toguro taking it!

Something else will happen in Shibuya?

Something will happen on the day of the live action premier...?

I am super curious. From this image, we can understand that all the ad-trucks that departed from Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Hakata will be arriving in Shibuya on the 14th, but what will happen? Some kind of big announcement? 😱

Edit: It was just a big promo at the Shibuya Crossing!

Source: Netflix Japan

[nipahnan]

realistically , how is it like living in japan ? i am a POC so our experiences would definitely be different .. but are you fluent in the language ? how is everyday life for you ? do you have a job there or remote work overseas in the US ? sorry for all the questions !! i'm hoping to move to japan myself eventually . ♡

Aaah I’m so happy to finally get a question, I’ve been waiting to be able to ramble about myself on here thehe :) This is gonna be a long one, so I’m sorry in advance, but I want to try and be as transparent as possible!♡

I don’t live in Tokyo, yet I have a bunch of friends who live there and who talk about their experiences very openly, so I’ll also talk about things they went through and that they observed. In general people of course need to make sure not to romanticize a country. Japan is a country like any other and a lot of people forget that. I’ve been interested in Japan since I was around 11 years old and I came to Japan knowing about it’s good and bad sides because I did research about it for years. So coming here with very realistic expectations and not thinking I’m gonna live in a fairytale, I’d say it’s great so far! :)

Of course I’ve only been here for 1 year now, but it’s definitely so much better than living in Germany. It just suits my lifestyle and general personal behavior so much better. I never felt connected to people in Germany with the way they behave and so I’m having it way easier here. I definitely aim to obtain permanent residence status one day because I really believe that I want to enjoy my life here. I definitely feel like foreigners who move to Tokyo have it so much easier than people who move somewhere else in Japan, because there’s so much more English writing or people who try and speak English since it’s full of tourists too, so it’s easier to navigate without learning any Japanese. When I first landed in Japan I literally only spoke English and I was kinda shocked since I didn’t expect that at all tbh. I actually know a few people who have lived in Japan for years without learning any Japanese and it kinda baffles me sometimes lol. I definitely recommend coming here with at least some basic Japanese and then trying to gradually learn more, that’s how I did it and it’s been working very well. Im not fluent at all yet, but im able to have conversations and I’m learning every day and that’s what counts :)

I also know a lot of people who realized how fake Tokyo can be and decide to move away from it quickly because of them getting mental problems or their mental problems worsening, considering how awful mental help in Japan is. They’re feeling very lonely, overworked, and even get bullied. It definitely depends on the workplace of course. But as long as you make sure to make genuine friendships and realize that Japanese people can be extremely blunt and that their behavior is overall quite different, you’ll have no problem with them. There’s a lot of rules and there’s no way you’re always able to remember them, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Definitely try and act according to how they act and you will be welcomed with open arms I’d say :)

I currently don’t have a job because I got hit with a very hard illness right after 3 months of living here which resulted in me almost dying that I’m still recovering from. So I didn’t have time to work with how many times I was in the hospital, yet I’m having an interview soon and I’ll hopefully be able to start work in the next month if everything works out :)

I have a spouse visa after finally marrying my partner that I’ve been with for 4 years, so that made immigrating here way easier for me of course and I definitely realize that I was very lucky to get here that way. I only had to wait 15 minutes and immediately had my visa, meanwhile a lot of people say how long they had to wait because they had a different visa and of course because the Tokyo immigration is so much fuller than the one in Nagoya.

Everyday life is very chill, it’s very quiet so as a person who is very easily irritated and overwhelmed by loud noises it’s so much better for my mental health. yet again I don’t live in Tokyo and in a very tiny town (13.11 km² big lmao) so I have to drive to Nagoya for some of the „fun“ parts.

Now for some of the VERY annoying parts.

Stares. People stare at you ALL the time. Even tho I’m white, they love staring at me like I’m some alien because I have blonde hair and stick out like a sore thumb here in my city where there’s such a tiny amount of foreigners(basically 0 lol) I’ve noticed that people usually say that old people are kind of rude to them and how nice young people are, yet for me it’s the complete opposite at times. Old people, especially old women, love randomly talking to me and are generally very nice to me. There’s this older lady who works at my local family mart and she is sooo nice to me, always giving me compliments and everything, she is so cute♡ Meanwhile young people love staring and making fun of me because they often think I don’t understand them. I get comments like „she looks cute but she’s kinda fat.“ „do you think she even understands Japanese?“ and they giggle all the time. Sometimes they also take pictures of me in the train and it feels very rude. As someone who never stood out in her hometown and always trying her best to not get any attention, it definitely hurts to suddenly hear comments like that and basically feeling like a zoo animal at times. Yet I knew this would happen so I was prepared for it and I know I just shouldn’t care about comments like that. Now idk how bad it is in Tokyo but I can imagine it’s not as awful since it’s way more diverse? Yet you still hear stories about how this also happens very often to POC and sometimes even white foreigners who just happen to have a different type of style. So it’s definitely something to keep in mind.

Also about the topic of getting called fat. Japanese people LOVE to call you fat in your face. As soon as you’re over 50kg no matter your height they will probably consider you fat. One time I had to state my weight at the hospital for a scan and the lady literally yelled „…kg???“ and then proceeded to giggle to her male coworker. Considering that coming from the hospital staff, it was definitely shocking. Especially since I was literally about to die that day? I was so shocked and felt so bad considering I gained 10kg during that time only due to steroid medication which I literally had no control over. So I’d definitely say it’s another thing to be prepared for.

Their clothing style is also pretty different from the west, you’ll see a lot of long skirts and blouses or sweaters. Tight fitting clothes or clothes showing of a lot of skin aren’t as common here and it definitely makes you stick out. One time I was wearing a tank top under a jacket and didn’t close the jacket all the way while going to get takeout and some school boys sitting at the table loudly made a comment about how giant my boobs are and didn’t stop staring and it made me insanely uncomfortable to which I immediately just closed my jacket. Most uncomfortable encounter I’ve ever had and made me stop wearing shirts that show cleavage lol.

Also there’s of course a lot of sexual harassment here, especially in Tokyo. There’s literally guys just staring at 🌽 that you can see in the reflection of the train window (I even saw that in person one time, absolutely insane) or just straight up jerkin off. They literally have posters at my train stations telling women to pay attention to their skirts because there could be someone taking pictures of your panties. So if you intend to wear short skirts you always have to wear shorts under it if you don’t want some pervert to take a panty shot of you. At this point they even have hidden cameras in their shoes which is just insane to me…

Overall, don’t believe most things those tiktok or YouTube videos from tourists tell you. They often times don’t have any knowledge about Japan or how it is to live here, often give misinformation or are just straight up romanticizing this country to the max. All my friends and me even absolutely hate these travel vloggers at this point because of how much bs they’re saying :,)

To sum it up: if you have enough knowledge about the country and the people, prepare yourself as much as possible and realize that it’s very different from what you’re probably used to, and most of all, that it’s just another country that you’ll be living in, you’ll definitely love it here! :)

I definitely could tell even more because I had so many crazy encounters already and so many cool places to talk about, but I think I’ve been talking long enough now :D

Hope my ramble was a bit helpful for you（╹◡╹）♡

[umichenginabroad]

Week 6: The Setting Sun

Howdy y'all, it me Connor back after the final week of navigating around Nagoya!

This is going to be a mostly writing focused blog as I do not have a ton of photos as this week was cut short as I had a flight to catch back to the good ole US of A.

First up, I passed all my finals, I think.

I got a perfect score on my speaking section on the speaking section of my Japanese final and I passed the written portion. So yeah I'm basically fluent. Learning the language was definitely way tougher than I thought it would be, but it gave me confidence to at least try and continue learning it in the future.

In addition my engineering final presentation went so well that my group won overall best presentation. We won a set of diecast Honda NSXs which is a car I have fawned over in previous blogs. I was super happy with my research surrounding modern plastic alternatives used in dashboards and the real cost of fabric vs. leather car seats. This program has given me a refreshed sense of enthusiasm in regards to the automotive industry. I have experienced the industry in a way completely unique to Japan and have now seen aspects of automotive culture inaccessible anywhere else.

Sadly though the time has come for me to leave the country. I still have quite a sizable lab report I have yet to really dive into so my studies have yet to stop but I no longer will be able to experience the wonders of Japan. But here are the last couple photos of my shortened week.

This is me standing in front of the Nagoya University sign (Holding up the classic UMich M, GO BLUE!). It is in front of the main yard where we often saw students throwing balls, sunbathing, and just generally having a good time.

This selfie was taken on the way to the farewell party hosted by the NUSIP program. You can see most of my roommates pictured. These guys really made my time in Japan special and I cannot thank them enough. The farewell party was super sweet and everyone was super sad to leave.

A photo of my room taken on the day of my departure. You all would not believe how long it took me to clean it up. It felt just like yesterday that I walked into this room exactly how I saw it leaving. I almost cried as I had my bags packed and was walking out the door.

After a couple hours of traveling, and one too many trains, I took this photo at the airport right before going through security. Although I was smiling that was only because I took the wrong train and still made it to the airport on time. But oh boy did I have a massive journey ahead of me. My parents were worried sick because of the windows outage causing may flights to be cancelled. Luckily all of my planes arrived and I only suffered an hour delay.

I landed at Boston Logan Airport quite late Friday night after almost 30 hours of traveling. The one thing I was looking forwards to coming back for was that my family was about to take a nice long beach vacation in Cape Cod. I was so happy to see them, and even better I got possibly the greatest welcome back breakfast in the world. Nothing could stop me from demolishing these biscuits and home fries topped with sausage gravy, because you could never find something that good in Japan.

Until next time, さようなら, また 来週

Connor Gilfillan

Mechanical Engineering

NUSIP Automotive Engineering in Nagoya, Japan

[mcwscollective]

BASIC INFORMATION

Name: Jyushi Aimono

MC Name: 14th Moon

Species: Human

Age: 18

Birthday: April 14th

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He / him

Location: Nagoya, Japan

Language: Japanese

FAMILY

Parents: Unnamed

Siblings: None

Children: None

Pets: None

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black with yellow streaks

Height: 6'1 (185cm)

Build: Thin but toned

Scars: None worth noting

Tattoos: None

Piercings: Many piercings in both ears

Other: Can be seen with his stuffed pig, Amanda

PERSONALITY

Positive: Loyal, talented, friendly once he gets to know you

Negative: Narcissistic, immature, crybaby

General: Jyushi has had a hard life, filled with plenty of loss and bullying. He hides behind a puffed up, vain persona whenever he gets scared as a way to protect himself and hide his true feelings. He may become a clingy crybaby when you get to know him, but he's fiercely loyal, always happy to see his friends, and eager to help out. His passion is singing, and he talks to his plush pig for company.

Education: Unfinished

Occupation: Vocalist for Visual Kei band ArgoξOrchestra

Hobbies: Singing, hanging out with the other two members of Bad Ass Temple

Likes: His plush pig, Amanda, and mirrors

Dislikes: Small spaces, being yelled at, oppressive people

Bad Habits: Speaking arrogantly / haughtily when nervous or upon first meeting someone new

RELATIONSHIPS

Friendships: Hitoya is his hero and best friend

Family: His groupmates are his family now

Relationship Status: Verse dependent, typically single

Romantic Orientation: Demiromantic

Sexual Orientation: Demisexual

Role / Position: Submissive bottom, but he doubts he'll ever be with someone he trusts enough to let himself be that vulnerable with

NAVIGATION

Aesthetic

Headcanons

Musings

NSFW

Pics and quotes

Threads

Verses

CONNECTIONS

Ship

[arb-backgrounds]

「NAVIGATION」

○IKEBUKURO

◔YOKOHAMA

◑SHIBUYA

◕SHINJUKU

●OSAKA

◕NAGOYA

◐CHU-OH-KU

◔HYPQUEST SPECIAL

○UNDISCLOSED/SPECIAL LOCATIONS

A collection of hypnosis Mic ARB backgrounds.

[pwrestlingxpress]

Key matches set for NOAH and NJPW big events.

After both "Wrestling Dontaku 2023" and "Majestic 2023" ended, key matches were announced for NOAH's "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku Face "taking place on May 31st and NJPW's Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall taking place on June 4th. And after NOAH's "Star Navigation 2023 Episode 4" ended, key matches were announced for "Green Journey 2023 in Nagoya" on June 17th.

Starting off with the official match card for "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE"

The event will be highlighted by the GHC Junior Tag Team Championship and an special singles match between Kenoh and Katsuhiko Nakajima that could have tag title implications should Kenoh retain his World Tag Team Title (with Manabu Soya) next week in Kobe.

Now, we go to the key matches set for NJPW's "Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall" which will take place on June 4th.

As of right now, 4 title matches will be taking place in Osaka.

Jeff Cobb vs. Zac Sabre Jr. for the NJPW World TV Championship

A 3-way for the IWGP Tag Team Championship involving Bishamon, HOT, and Aussie Open

El Phantasmo vs. David Finlay for the NEVER Openweight Championship

Yota Tsuji vs. SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

More matches for "Dominion" will be announced after "Best of the Super Junior 30" ends on May 28th. Also, AEW's Jon Moxley is scheduled to appear in Osaka-Jo. What kind of appearance though remains to be seen.

Lastly, key matches were announced for NOAH's "Green Journey 2023 in Nagoya" scheduled to take place on June 17th.

As of right now, 3 title matches are scheduled to take place:

Dante Leon vs. HAYATA for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship

Masa Kitamiya/Yoshiki Inamura vs. Saxon Huxley/Timothy Thatcher for the GHC Tag Team Championship

Takashi Sugiura vs. Jake Lee for the GHC Heayweight Championship

More matches will be announced after May 31st when "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku Face" ends though there is the possibility of a match being added next Sunday in Kobe pending on the result of the AJPW World Tag Team Championship match.

Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE comes May 31st at 6:30 PM Local Time/5:30 AM Eastern/2:30 AM Pacific on Wrestle Universe with no commentary (as of writing).

Dominion 2023 in Osaka-Jo Hall comes June 4th at 4:00 PM Local Time/3:00 AM Eastern/1:00 AM Pacific on NJPW World with English and Japanese Commentary

Green Journey 2023 in Nagoya comes June 17th at 5:00 PM Local Time/4:00 AM Eastern/1:00 AM Pacific on ABEMA with Japanese commentary and Wrestle Universe with English commentary

[harutostablet]

((Either by scouring Youtube or searching for a club called"The Gauntlet" a video may pop up. On paper, the club is called a high end Karaoke club that lets people experience what it is like to be a popstar for a song. It is also known to be frequented as a stepping stone for Asian pop idols that want to break out across countries.

Song:

When clicked it opens to show a series of circular stages around a large main room. Connecting the stages several feet off of the ground, three feet wide. The video appears to be shot with either a high quality cell phone or a small portable camera. Behind the main stage is a sign made out of bright lights that read "Gauntlet."))

The MC stands in the middle of the stage in a flashy suit addressing the audience. "Next up," he says into the microphone. "This guy is a college student all the way from Nagoya, Japan. Show him some love, this… is…. Haruto!" The host steps off stage. Stage lights dim as a spotlight hones in on a solo figure.

A sexy cool aura emanates from the young man as he fluidly steps closer to the edge. His short hair is hidden under a black baseball cap with the word "HARUTO" stitched in large white letters. Peeking at the bottom of the cap nearly hidden through tufts of dark hair When he looks up, his eyes are a bold exotic blue. They hold enough mischief to pool down into a smirk on his lips. He wears a black tank top under a navy blue open button-down that rocks a paisley print. Around his waist he wears a black leather belt, a silver lion head is his belt buckle. The belt holds up dark denim jeans that tuck into the top of his black leather high tops.

Gone was the socially awkward college student, navigating his way through daily life, standing on that stage was something to be worshiped and adored.

With Haruto's first step the shoes light up, alternating colors with each step. The spot light dims so the shoes made it look like he was walking on a lake of color. Each step he takes is slow and sensual.

The music track begin soft and low, luring the listener in to Haruto's sweet, mellow voice. He jumps up as he get closer to the edge of the stage, just in time for the bass to drop. The young pop star's movements go from crisp to fluid, popping and locking with the beat. As if his body was physically connected to the music.

Floating on feet that would make Justin Timberlake jealous, Haruto starts the gauntlet when there is a break in the song. His feet leap off the platform to the second stage, dropping into a deep bounce. His pale fingers of his right hand ghosted down his chest to his belt buckle. It leads the viewer to watch his hips in with an exotic rhythm.

Once again he waits for the chorus to start before moving. The audience follows him like the pied piper as he dances to the next platform. Some even reached out to touch the singer's jeans and sneakers. As if, by catching him, they would be the winner of an amazing prize.

The tugs pull the dark denim down enough to reveal the word "Papi on the top band of Haruto's boxer briefs. Haruto stands in the center of the platform taking a strong stance so he can make a display of slowly pulling up his jeans. Even giving a cocky wink to one of the girls who caused his issue before moving to the next stage.

By the time he made it to the third platform the audience was all his. They screamed and cheered for pop star in training. In that moment, he was the perfect fantasy for the viewer. Still moving with the music, waited for the perfect time to move to the last perform.

A few of the girls even tugged at his jeans as he made his way to the next platform trying to get another peek inside. Haruto graced his fans with hand shakes and sly smirks. For a select few he would look them in the eye and give them a cheeky wink.

He left his followers behind when he took the main stage. There, he once again became a magical creature at one with the music. Every move was magic. Even his sweat seemed to sparkle under the stage lights.

He sings out the track, movement and voice halting at the same time. A thunderous applause filled the void left behind from the music fading out.

The video ends with Haruto looking up at the camera. His winning smile falters for just a moment before he looks back at the audience full of charm.))

[francinebill]

JAPAN-2023

Francine and I are in Japan traveling to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo. We flew to Osaka and returning home from Tokyo. Even though we are enjoying this experience we are traveling with a heavy heart about the tragedies in Israel.

Japan is the size of California with thousands of islands and primarily inhabited on four major islands. The 125 million population live on only about 10% of the land resulting in high density in the cities.

OSAKA-October 9-13

October 9 - 11 - In Osaka we stayed at the Zentis Hotel (very Zen) and on our first day, October 11, we were greeted by our orientation guide who provided our subway and Shinkansen (Bullet train) passes. Our guide took us to the busy Osaka Station for a “trial run” on the vast metro system. We ended our first metro ride in Dotonbori a popular area with a canal lined with small food stands, restaurants and long arcades with shops selling goods from the kitsch to the “fashion forward.” The area is a feast for the eyes and stomach. We spent the evening on a soul food tour in Dotonbori tasting octopus, grilled and fried meat and fish and a custard pancake. It was an exhausting and enjoyable first day in Japan.

October 12 - 13 - With Google Maps step-by-step guidance we were able to navigate the metro system and our first stop was the Osaka Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world, with its focus on the creatures of the Pacific Rim from the Aleutian Islands in the north to the penguins of Antarctica. From the aquarium we took the metro to the Namba Station. The station is a warren of hallways, at least 30 entrances, lined with eateries and shops while above ground are massive complexes of multi-story department stores, rooftop gardens, hotels and office complexes.

In the evening we walked to Umeda area to a neighborhood Italian restaurant, what else. At our table the server made fresh pasta with a special pasta cutting screen. After dinner we walked to the Umeda Sky Building. This office building is comprised of two separate towers connected by an observation deck on the 40th floor.

On our last day in Osaka we went to the Keitakuen Gardens for a stroll before taking a day long walk, 4 miles, back to our hotel. We took many detours with a view of the iconic Tsutenkaku Tower, along narrow streets, through the Shinshibashi neighborhood, a stop for a bite to eat at the Takashimaya Department Store, of course a gourmet ice cream along the way and a lot of window shopping. We ended the day with a relaxing dinner at our hotel.

[andercar1516]

Today it was day 9 in Nagoya and we first visited the Ozone Tanabata Festival. We got there right when it just opened so not all the stalls were ready yet. It was fun walking around a not crowded or busy festival and seeing all the displays around the Oz Mall shopping street. Mom and carter wrote a note and put it on the wishing tree before we left. Then we went to go walk around Nagoya Parco which was south west of Oz station. Nagoya Parco had 3 wings so it was confusing walking around and navigating the mall. Outside of the building there was an event for a sporting company and there was a show. Then, we walked to Pokemon Center Nagoya where we had to wait 30 minutes to get inside the store. The Pokémon center was so busy that they had a queue you had to wait in to get in. I ended up buying many packs of Pokémon cards there. Then for an early dinner we went to Sweets Paradise and their all you can eat buffet. It’s mostly sweets like cake and tarts but there was also salads, pasta, and curry too! Another cool thing was that for an extra $1 , you can have access to unlimited Hagen-Dahz ice cream. Most things were very yummy like the curry, ice cream, and drinks to name a few. On the other hand, the desserts were usually not the greatest which was disappointing. Nonetheless it was a fun experience and definitely worth it for the price of 1699 yen. Then we capped off our day with a little more shopping and taking the subway home.

-Andercar

[arbcards]

Amazing Amusement Park: Evolved

I'll Use This Ball! - 【Kuko Harai】

A Game in Nagoya - 【Ramuda Amemura】

Standup and Knock 'Em Down Comedian - 【Sasara Nurude】

See Unevolved Cards

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[aechteaseawb]

this is just combining my two favorite things: gay pining and interior design. 

The CrocoDaiOh feels a lot bigger on the inside, which makes sense, because it is meant to also be the home of four, carrying this family of pirates on long voyages across the multiverse. The first in the world! In all worlds!

“But how does it all work?” Kaito asks, pressing his face against the windows. He can see the entire Earth from up here, blue and round. It really is round! All connected, not a single lonely corner left outside the loop! The view is magnificent!

“That’s a bit of a broad question, isn’t it?” Zox comments from where he is swinging his legs over the sofa. He seems to be in a good mood, eyes bright, amusement apparent in his voice. “Would you even understand it if we explained?”

“You know how it works, Zox?”

Zox raises his eyebrows. “It’s my ship. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, I think most people don’t know how their cars work, you know?” Kaito says, and wonders if that’s a good simile. Or is it a metaphor? Which one is which again? It’s been a while since high school, so memories are fuzzy, not to say that memories weren’t fuzzy back in high school, but it’s about the level of fuzziness!

“Nothing too complicated.” Zox says, breaking him out from his little inner conflict. “But Flint explained basic repairs to us. A captain should know his ship.”

“As expected of Zox! Full-power dependable!” Kaito praises. It’s good for people to be familiar with their vehicles! When he gets home, he should really have some more one on one time with his bicycle! “Can I ask anyway?”

“What would you like to know?”

Yacchan once told him that men are most attractive when they are confident, and Kaito can definitely see that now. Not that Zox isn’t usually attractive, but there’s something different about him aboard the CrocoDaiOh, something natural and entracing, in the way that he places himself in the environment, how he moves like he’s a walking part of this living, breathing aircraft soaring through the sky, like he could navigate the ship blind. It’s hard not to find that attractive, Kaito thinks, the honest ease in his posture.

“Uh…” Kaito breaks his eyes away to locate a target for a topic. “Where does your toilet lead to?” He asks. “On the seas, I heard that toilets usually just flush into the ocean, but you don’t sail on the seas. Where do you flush to?”

Zox looks very serious all of a sudden. He sits up straight on his sofa, and leans forward ominously. “Do you wanna know?” He says. “Do you really want to know?”

“I mean……” Kaito falters, and follows Zox’s glance towards the window. The stars look stellar in space, by the way, has Kaito mentioned that yet? He gulps. But before he could decide if he wanted to know the answer or not, Zox gets to his feet, walks over to Kaito, and pats him on the shoulders. “I’m joking. Flint designed the flush to open up a world gate that leads to some public bathroom in Nagoya.”

“So every time you flush your toilet all of it flies off to Nagoya?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

And imagine being in that very public bathroom in Nagoya, opening up that stall, only to have it flush on its own! To ordinary people, it would probably be like a haunted spot for urban mythology, but that right there is the world’s first bathroom to connect to a flying aircraft of the one and only world pirates! “That’s so cool!” Kaito exclaims.

“Really?” Zox raises his eyebrows. “I would think that’s a pretty unremarkable thing.”

“Nothing around you could ever be unremarkable, Zox.” Kaito says sincerely. Zox is the type of person to choose his surroundings, choose his company, and he would only allow those as intriguing as himself.

“Yo ho hoy!” Zox grins crookedly, in the way that makes Kaito’s heart skip a beat. “You’ve got that right.”

[more-than-a-princess]

She'd just secured her seatbelt with barely any time to marvel at the modern technology the car had been furnished with when Lupin had, politely yet firmly, instructed her to vacate her seat. Sonia gaped at him for plenty of reasons: one, he trusted her to drive without any display of such skills before. Two, he believed she could drive in the first place. The latter wasn't the issue, Sonia thought as she glanced between the electronic control panel and back to him. It wasn't any more complicated than driving a tank, she thought, as she unbuckled the seatbelt and quickly made her way to the driver's seat. There was no point in lingering about.

No, the issue was far more the former. Like cooking, driving wasn't exactly part of her day-to-day repertoire. Winding roads deep in the Novosonian countryside and the steep curves of the mountain passes were one thing, she was their future queen. But this...

"Well, it doesn't look too terribly complicated," Sonia reassured him, though it was far more to reassure herself than anything else as she secured the driver's side seatbelt before fussing with the seat and rearview mirrors, ensuring they were all in their proper places. "I was taught to drive a tank before I ever learned to operate a car, and this isn't much different. Beyond the lack of manual gearshift and touchscreen panel. But I should advise you, Mr. Lupin: I have never been required to obtain a driving license. It simply isn't asked of the monarch or heir in Novoselic."

Smiling, Sonia felt confident that it was warning enough as she pressed what seemed to be the ignition button, the car coming to a relatively quiet life. Perhaps it was a hybrid, something that on the surface the Royal Family cared deeply for but in practice, they favored their practical SUVs and European sports cars, ideal for driving well over the limit anywhere they could get away with it.

"Let's see what this car can do!" She beamed. Once he too was safely buckled into his seat, Sonia glanced into the side mirror, carefully pulled out into the street, and headed in the direction set in the onboard navigator.

* * *

As it turned out, not that much. Whether it was by design or lack of opportunity, they'd found themselves in several snarls of traffic simply trying to leave Tokyo, bound southwest towards Shizuoka and Nagoya before onto their destination. Once the metropolitan area was behind them, though, Sonia hadn't hesitated to increase speed, weaving around slower drivers when they reached them. The street signs were easy enough to read, but that didn't mean they were simple to understand. Motorist signage, including colors, seemed to be much different in Novoselic. How did her staff memorize them all? Granted, they hadn't needed to keep the array of other rules, or dates, or other royal information tucked away deep into the recesses of their minds the way she did, but as they passed signs for chain restaurant rest stops and national landmarks alike, she felt she didn't give them enough credit.

"Is this a poor time to mention that I can count with one hand the amount of times I've served my own, and paid for my own, petrol?" She asked. She hadn't bothered to mess with the radio or any other entertainment option in the vehicle. For one, she didn't know what it even had and two, it was likely best she kept her eyes on the road. At the very least, her driving had some improvement over her cooking, though she could do with a reminder that they were on a public highway and not launching into a battle. "That should be fun, for when we must stop to replenish the car and ourselves! Do you think we'll need additional disguises too, or if we simply continue to communicate in French that no one will suspect a thing?"

He may have given Sonia a chance to control her own destiny and have an adventure, but that didn't stop her from fashioning herself into the heroine of her very own action and adventure film, with potential hazards around every corner.

“I promise you mademoiselle things aren’t always what they appear to be. This vehicle for instance, on the outside it looks nothing less than junk that deserves to be sent into scrap. But a thief knows there is more than meets the eye. Like people, this car is wearing a mask, only until you look and see what’s inside would you be surprised if your findings.”

It was as if he was talking from experience as he opens the door and the car was extremely modern. A screen at the center and it ran as an automatic, there was a button to start it. Just WHO in the world did Lupin bump into to acquire such a vehicle? A drug lord? A spy? Maybe he would express the answer one day. However he was actually surprised to see her take the passengers seat.

“Oh no mademoiselle, that’s not where you’ll be seated. Your place is at the drivers seat, you’ve been cooped up long enough and I’m sure you’ve been chauffeured enough, it’s time to take a hold of your destiny and gain just a tiny bit of freedom. So you’ll be driving.” He’d only hope her driving was far better than her cooking.