Oyuki kigan

Oh, i forgot one thing, after riding i love drinking AMAZAKE! Homemade stuff is way better than the canned, but the stuff that comes in a bag and you just add water isn't bad either. A trick i learned from a cookbok is to add a little fresh ginger juice, and it gived it a hot zing. I'm gonna pick up a case of the stuff when i roll through Vancouver!

thanks for the kind words. I'm not really one for hanging in clubs, but maybe i'll have to start. I know whistler gets some decent bands coming through to ride. As for Japanese nightlife, i know there used to be a crazy bar in Hakuba called "Universe" that was pretty good. Anyone ever been to it?

True, but we just broke up a couple of weeks ago after 5 and a half years of being together (4 of those living together). So no, i am not that stoked. i am not even excited about riding. I know it will change, but it will be a while. I move to Squampton next week to start work as an instructor at whistler. I know riding in whistler is the dream for most peple (i have never ridden there before myself) but with the new vacuum in my life, its a little hard to for me to get excited. So humor me, please. Besides, after a long day of riding and cutting off skiers in one-piece outfits, the last

Its a little different all over the place (except for the alcohol). What do you do where you'e from? Or where you're at, for that matter. After a long day, i loved hitting a good ramen joint (there is a great one at the base of Arai, that has excellent Shoyu-ramen), hitting a small, local hot spring for a soak outdoors, and then tuck in with my girlfriend. The best is at Hakuba, where you can get a little mexican food, hit the onsen (the one with the orange-colored water, across the river. Yeah, some of you know what i'm talking about...), and then retire to a nuku-nuku futon at one of th

I'm afraid i'm not on messenger. Is there any way of ordering a CD from you directly?

Ha ha ha. Crazy. I doubt she would remember me, the last time she e-mailed me was a year or two ago asking for support to help some Japanese anarchists who were having trouble with the police during the anti-war protests. If she does remember me, tell her i would still love to go record shopping with her and her friends when i get back over there. Well, with this news, is there any way i can get a hold of some of your guys stuff? And how would you describe the band's music?

I see alot of younger kids rocking massive headphones, and while i was at some Japanese hills, i wish i had some to drown out the piped music. Does anyone ride with music? If so, what? I have a cheap MD player, and on powder days i have a dub mix i like to play.

Northern Nagano-ken, somewhere near an onsen and a ski hill. Maybe Nozawa or something. I miss it so much...

Thank you. Thank you very much. I will try to check some of those bands out. I won't be back over there until next summer at the earliest, but i look forward to hearing some of this stuff. Actually, i briefly was in e-mail contact with this girl who was in a band on the Snuffy Smile label. Now, that was a few years ago, but when i typed "Japan political punk", in on google, her band was the only thing to come up. last time i e-mailed her, (she lived in the states and has perfect english), she said she was doing translating work and had her music projects on the side. I don't know if

The new Frank 'Black' Francis double CD. The new stuff is marginal, but the pre-Pixies demo CD blew me away. He is my fat, bald rock god. Me+The Pixies=Trueluv4ever

Yes, the anko is sweet, but the vinegar taste is not that strong. It is a little wierd at first (especially 'cause of the textures), but its quite good.

Hell yeah

The anko-stuffed lotus root is a temple dish, not something you would find at someones home. The only time i made it was for New Years. i brought it over to a Japanese family's house, but they had never seen it before. I think it came from China. The lotus is simmered in vinegar, and then stuffed with anko, giving it a kinda sweet 'n sour feel. Its really good though.

All i could glean from SOBUT was that they wanted to be rancid. Like most things appropriated by japan, it is very good in mimicking the surface, but completely misses the point. Case in point, a live show. I saw this great ska band from Hokkaido called the Clowns. Super-fun, high-energy ska. Anywhere else, and it would pack the dance floor. When i saw them in a little live venue in Kitami, everybody just stood around and stared. You get the same thing when a techno DJ gets in front of the crowd. They just listlessly sway side to side and stare at the DJ, like he is some sort of star. LIK

Does this beast still exist? I have been on the hunt for some decent japanese punk rock, but have been largely unable to find anything...'punk'. Mind you, the Blue Hearts rock my socks. But beyond them, has anyone heard anything that is not the lyrics to some cliche pop song with a half-hearted attempt at a 'punk' structure? Any band that actually has something to say about their own society beyond cliche anti-racism setiments? Pissed off and wants to put a little vinegar in their vocals? Bands that actually want to stir shit up? Are there no japanese counterparts to the Dead Kennedys o

There have been a few good ones pre-election. There was a bumper sticker that said "Bypass the middle man, elect Halliburton '04" or my friend came up with a t-shirt tat has Bush's, Cheney's, and Rumsfeld's mugs on it and it said "the Asses of Evil" or my other favorite "U.S.= 9-11, Iraq= 24-7"

Any toe or heel drag and you will not be able to carve hard or fast, if at all. Its impossible.. Either prop you feet up, or my suggestion is shell out the coin and get a board with a wider waist. Almost everyone makes them, (but i don't know the chances of finding one in Japan).

It really makes me appreciate big cities in Canada.

I'll let you in on a secret. There is a cookbook out there written by some Zen nuns from Tokyo, and the whole thing is completely vegan. And for the most part, contains traditional (and some esoteric) recipes. The thing is useless to me in Canada, because all the ingredients are seasonal vegetables from Japan, except a few like potatoes and carrots. Anyways, it is the best japanese cookbook i've ever had and it has lots of great root-based recipes, like anko-stuffed lotus root, simmered potatoes and wakame, and carrot tsukemono. Its called "Zen Vegetarian Cooking", and i think its publi

There is a really good one, just shredded carrot and Gobo. Its pan-fried with some soy sauce, sake, sugar, and a little bit of roasted sesame seeds on top. You can add a little age too. i forget the name, though.

Lately i don't find much funny about Bush.

the title of this thread is also the name of a rad Propagandhi song. Check it out if you can. It conveys my setiments exactly.

First, what is "BC". Are you talking about the Canadian province? If so, where? The funtions on the clothing you use can change alot depending if you are on the coast or in the interior. Or are you talking about "Back Country"? Same thing. Where do you plan to ride? I know some people that don't even wear a jacket if the weather is good (because all the hiking makes them so hot).

"I wanna grab the crucifix thats hanging in the cleavage/ Of every Christian girl who thinks her tits are saving Jesus" -Sage Francis Focus people, focus!

You mean, compared to something that pushes the boundries of human expression like J-pop? Seriosly, any genre had cliches. So does hip-hop.