Nagoya Juggling Club
Saturday, December 18th, 2010 in: News
One of the advantages of having a ton of crazy talented friends is it makes it easy to meet even more crazy talented people. I met my friend Kazuya through my yo-yo friends, and found out that in addition to yo-yo, he’s been juggling for over a decade. Having recently started getting into it myself, I asked if I could tag along to some juggling practices. (more…)
SCOTTeVEST Soft Shell Jacket Review
Monday, November 29th, 2010 in: News
This is perhaps less of a review than a field report of the SCOTTeVEST Soft Shell
SCOTTeVEST’s ad was recently rejected by Delta’s SkyMall mag for claiming to help you “beat the system” and “avoid extra baggage fees” (full story and video here). While I can understand the airlines trying to recoup their losses, I also think it’s ridiculous for them to implement hidden fees for services that everyone needs to use. Although we should all strive to travel as lightly as possible, very few people pack light enough to avoid baggage fees, especially when airlines start charging for any check-in bags. Some budget airlines have even begun to charge for essential services like using the bathroom facilities. This amounts to false advertising on ticket prices; it’s already annoying enough that the advertised prices are never all-inclusive. If we don’t call them on their shenanigans, they’ll continue to see how far they can push the envelope. Travel may be a luxury, but it’s one that we should all be allowed to experience. Transport is one of the biggest hassles and expenses of travel, and I applaud SCOTTeVEST for keeping the traveler in mind, even though they can’t advertise it on the pages of SkyMall.
My reason for bringing up this issue is that it’s true; I actually managed to avoid extra baggage charges when I left China to return to Japan using my Soft Shell. I didn’t realize that only trans-pacific flights got two check-ins included in the fare, and so I was once again left standing next to a check-in counter, shuffling my belongings from my check-in to my carry-on, swearing I would never buy another souvenir. Try as I might, I realized I was still far too overweight to squeeze under the single bag, 20kg check-in limit. Then I remembered the SCOTTeVEST. It was the hottest part of summer so it didn’t occur to me to wear a jacket, but at this point I had no choice. Pulling out the jacket freed up weight and space in my luggage, and I was able to cram almost 10kg of junk into my pockets. Since Jackets aren’t normally considered carry-on, and the confusion of all my luggage voodoo was embarrassing the counter agents, they let me go without weighing my carry-on, which was probably already over the 10kg limit even without the jacket. The Soft Shell paid for itself that day, I realized as I sweatily heaved myself into my plane seat, stowing the jacket in the upper compartment with the rest of my luggage. (more…)
Packing List Revised
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 in: News
So, as my visa deadline was fast approaching, I found myself once again packing up. This time, I needed to be more efficient. Since I knew I was going to be staying in China longer and leading a more normal life there, I took along wayyy more than I needed to. I meant to ship back all my unneeded stuff to Japan, but ended up bringing it back myself. I’m amassing quite a life for myself in Nagoya, every time I take stock of my things I’m reminded of just what an anchor it all is. I’ll be glad to get away from it again.
For the most part, I’m just lightening the load, but there are a few changes that should make a major impact.
My biggest change is in clothing – I’m losing as much of it as possible, and trying to get the most out of what I do take. While I really do like my SCOTTeVEST Soft Shell (click here for my review), and have made good use of its impressive cargo space on more than one occasion–it actually has saved me from overweight check-ins twice–the fact remains that it’s heavy and bulky, and I’m going to be headed to mainly tropical locations. I just can’t justify having so much weight dedicated to an insulating layer I will only be using a fraction of the time. But what to replace it with?
Out with the old, in with the new (more…)
Yo-Yo Bar in Shibuya
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 in: News
Most people think of yo-yo as a kid’s toy, possibly because they remember that the only time they’ve played with one was when they were young. For those of us who stuck with it and been inducted into the world of competitive yo-yo, it’s fun to challenge people’s assumptions and open their eyes to the adult toy scene (not that kind of toy, you perverts!)
Unlike my friends, I’m actually not a veteran of the yo-yo scene, I’m a convert.
1st Nippon Open Slackline Competition
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 in: News
When I brought my slackline to Japan last February, the locals reacted pretty much the same as everywhere else; with curiosity and interest. What other response is there when you’re walking through the park and some crazy guy is levitating a meter off the ground, walking between trees, than to stop and stare? Many would come up and strum the line tentatively like a banjo string, as if they were half expecting it to snap at the anchor and hit them in the face. Braver souls, mostly children, would clamber onto the line and jump off with a squeal. Three out of four times I set my line up, I would spend more time showing strangers how to walk the line than actually practicing myself. Slackline is just one of those things that appeals to a wide audience, not just the “oh that looks hard I’ll just watch” crowd, but it’s the kind of sport that people want to try for themselves. It’s as fun and challenging as it looks, and when you get into it, it goes so much deeper than mere play… but that’s a subject for another post. (more…)
River Climbing part 2 – The Adventure Continues
Sunday, November 14th, 2010 in: News
This is part 2 of my Sawa Nobori account. Click here for part 1.
My heart still racing from my death-defying first climb, I practically ran to the next waterfall. The second one was much higher than the first, and the guys decided it was best to rope up for this one. Sosha took the lead and set the anchor at the top. It had been a while since I last used an ascender, but it was really just for extra safety, as this waterfall was much taller and higher volume than the previous one. When I got to the top, I asked Sosha to leave in the anchor so I could belay myself down to the lip of the fall for a better view. It was worth the few extra minutes to be able to stand on the precipice of a large waterfall and take it all in. Two climbs in, the trip had already paid for itself in terms of awesome experiences. (more…)
沢登り – River Climbing with the Waseda Expedition Club
Friday, November 12th, 2010 in: News
When I first encountered the Expedition Club at Waseda, I was amazed at their stories of adventure around the world. Their main activity as a club is sawa nobori, best translated as river climbing. A mix between hiking, scrambling, lead and aid climbing, Sawa nobori is what you might call an extreme sport. Considering it’s such a combination of other sports, there’s a lot of knowledge and equipment necessary for a successful expedition, which could last anywhere from one day to several weeks. Because of all of this, it’s a popular sport amongst older, wealthier outdoor adventurers in Japan, which is where the sport originated and has evolved in the past century. There isn’t much information on it available in English, so to remedy that, Sosha has started his own sawa nobori site for videos, information and advice: www.RiverClimb.com I knew my only chance to get a taste of it was to tag along with Sosha and his club. My time at Waseda came and went without being able to try sawa nobori, but my story doesn’t end there.
Since I was going back to Tokyo for the slackline competition, Sosha not only offered me a place to stay, but an even more enticing opportunity. If I came a few days early, I could go on a sawa nobori trip with him and two of his kouhai. “Just bring your climbing harness and some waterproof gear and we’ll take care of the rest.” The trip had already been carefully planned and the itinerary was set as required by the official club rules. Clubs in Japan are notoriously strict; Sosha got in trouble from some club alums when he was president and made an executive decision to clean up the infamously messy club room. Traditions are hardwired into Japanese clubs; you don’t mess with the status quo.
Normally, only members were allowed to go on trips organized by the club, so it wasn’t unreasonable to expect my addition to the roster to be rejected. I’m a first-timer and this was a dangerous undertaking; the previous week a freshman broke a finger slipping on a rock and had to finish the hike with his pinky pointing out at a 45 degree angle from the second joint. If something happens there aren’t many options other than tough it out. Sosha got home from his club meeting and rang me up.
“Book your ticket.” I could tell he was smiling on the other end.
“I’m in?” I was surprised but excited
“You’re in. I’ll see you Wednesday night”
How I Reclaimed my Sense of Charity
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 in: News
The other day, my friend Janet told me about Your Big Year, a website from a company called Smaller Earth that offered an intriguing experience. 24 people get flown to Liverpool to participate in “a week of fun and engaging tasks, challenges and events,” as the site says. My friend described it as “The Amazing Race” meets “The Apprentice,” only it’s not for a TV show. Two people get chosen from the group in England to go on a round-the-world trip, apparently to work with NGOs in various locations. It was an interesting opportunity, and could provide me with some financial backing for my pet project of saving the world.
There were a few ways to secure a spot in this thing, all contests of a sort. The last remaining one open was fundraising for charity. You sign up, select up to three charities to raise for, and get people to donate, listing you as the beneficiary. The top 6 fundraisers get the last available seats. When Janet told me about it, she had already raised a considerable sum, and was in 2nd place with around £100 to her name. There wasn’t much activity in the past few updates, and she had found a way to track the activity on the tragically designed donation site, ammado. It seemed like if we could raise some petty cash for charity, we could at least get a week in England, right around the time my visa in Japan expires. At first it was just passing fancy, but then I thought hey, this might be doable. (more…)
REWIND Promotional Goods
Monday, November 8th, 2010 in: Identity
With the REWIND brand growing, it became necessary to expand our marketing and promotional materials. The new business cards show off just a few of the brands that we carry. We also created a few special edition yo-yo designs as well.
As a give-away for the 2010 US National Championships, we made these special tissue packs to hand out to players and spectators. This is a common marketing technique in Japan, but rare in the states, where we were correct in thinking it would be well-received.
Book Review: Watching The English
Monday, November 8th, 2010 in: News
Watching the English
The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour
I love systematic explanations of things, because I feel like it gives me a greater understanding of things than mere observations. Observations are akin to symptoms, and everyone knows that it’s better to know the cause of an issue than to just treat the symptoms. I love that anthropologists and ethnographers are trained to draw from their observations a series of conclusions that they form into an underlying structure of behavior, to express the rules of engagement that govern their subjects’ lives. That’s why they’re called social “sciences!” (more…)
