A Week in Tokyo 25
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92)
Sat 2008/09/20 17:21
Dont know what it is about tall views but it always gives me a load of energy when I'm back on the ground floor.
Recently discovered a nearby block of offices where one could go in and head to the roof.
Will be back there to take some pics at night too.
My views from the Amazon and Microsoft offices were similar and I spent a lot of my break time looking out at the window planning my next step in life.
At times of uncertainty, going with the flow of life is important. As events unfold, you then start to realize what steps you should take next.
However, as you go with the flow its important to also take time out to plan your next steps in life. Where would you like to be in a weeks time? What do you want to have done in a months time? What will your accomplishments be by this time next year?
Living life without planning is kind of like driving without a map. You may encounter fruitful experiences on your way but if you know that you want to get to "X" then having a map (planning) will help you get there earlier.
I gave myself a goal of starting my own business at 35 many moons ago. This meant that I would have to give up a stable salary and take that leap.
The years of planning helped me a lot to prepare all the pieces that I needed - many of it being learning stuff (Japanese business laws etc) ,networking with people in the industry and gaining experience programming etc.
How often do you take time out to plan your life?
However, as you go with the flow its important to also take time out to plan your next steps in life. Where would you like to be in a weeks time? What do you want to have done in a months time? What will your accomplishments be by this time next year?
Living life without planning is kind of like driving without a map. You may encounter fruitful experiences on your way but if you know that you want to get to "X" then having a map (planning) will help you get there earlier.
I gave myself a goal of starting my own business at 35 many moons ago. This meant that I would have to give up a stable salary and take that leap.
The years of planning helped me a lot to prepare all the pieces that I needed - many of it being learning stuff (Japanese business laws etc) ,networking with people in the industry and gaining experience programming etc.
How often do you take time out to plan your life?
Raw egg mixed into a beef bowl (gyudon) tastes lovely. Hmmmm. Will probably have that for din dins today.
On a hot day, Haruhi helps me cool down.
Lunch at the Korean place around the corner.
Back at the katsu place again. Cream croquet filled with crab meat.
Japan gets prison break too but it only shows on the extra satellite channels - we also get it very late. Does Prison Break show in your region too?
What do you think about season 4 so far? I've been watching it since season 3 and got hooked. Seasons 1 and 2 just as good?
What do you think about season 4 so far? I've been watching it since season 3 and got hooked. Seasons 1 and 2 just as good?
One of the great things about living in Japan - you get to see lovely girls on the streets. Rio asks you to join her for some fun n games.
Mikuru Uncho joins me for lunch. Nice shita pai.
Spaghetti lunch - 880 yen.
The neighbors go fishing from time to time and bring over extra catches for us.
A stroll at night after dinner. The cool and breezy wind is lovely.
BLT lunch with Kagami.
Matsuri time sees many lanterns decorate the streets.
An afternoon of coding. Still working on the detail page for news items. Want to roll that out this weekend.
Costco sells great sushi!
In the lounge watching Smap X Smap with Kagami. Some old Smap X Smap below.
Tempura on cold tsuyu with rice - perfect for summer and a bargain for 660 yen.
Buta Nan Ban Ramen - 880 yen.
On a hot day, bikini Mirai helps me cool down.
Click the pic to get a closer look - probably the strangest thing I've seen in a window.
Would you eat at this ramen place?
Whats the strangest thing you've seen in a window - Japan or your region?
Shooting the last Figma Theater. I write a script before I start shooting so that I don't need to change around the lens all the time.
Kagami is just too cute.
Some Curry Ramen at the new place - 800 yen.
On the way to the Good Smile offices. Here we stop outside an internet recreation place - 280 yen for 30 mins and 100 yen for every 15 mins after that. Net cafes also popular in your region too?
The red lone carriage races with us.
Meetings at Good Smile. Next milestone is October 1st.
Mos Burger for lunch - 990 yen. Kagami gets a new figma scarf.
We do indeed eat at home from time to time - white fish, vegetables and butter baked in a bag.
Tsukasa joins us for din dins.
A close up of the artwork you saw the other day in the Kagami Hiiragi review. The artist name is Ken Taya and when hes not illustrating, hes working at Bungie on games like Halo.
And you can make out the Tokyo Dance Trooper on the left.
A sign at a construction site warning workers the dangers of Hyperthermia.
Been one of the busiest weeks so far and this is how I felt like yesterday night - absol...(more)
Mon 09/08 13:38 comments (148)
Particularly busy in Tokyo this week. Major milestone completions, Portal redesign launc...(more)
Sun 08/24 15:17 comments (175)
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
I see that you still use the macro for figma theater, btw was wondering, would it be okay if I used some of the terms you use on Figma Theater the next time I play with me figma and post the images on me blog? Btw2 Mirai bikini shirt want! ^^ btw3, this post made me hungry. ^^;
(ID #307890) Posted on 2008/09/20 17:10
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
image ID#22142 a garfield doremon beside Danny?!? congratulations on being immortalized on Ken Taya's art work. ^^
(ID #307895) Posted on 2008/09/20 17:29
Director/代表取締役
Sure thing ^;
(ID #307993) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:04
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
thanks Danny, btw forgot about the questions the strangest thing I saw from a shop wasn't in a window but the shop name: http://www.dannychoo.com/detail/mac/eng/image/6509/puzzies+and+biaches.html ^^; I don't often think about my next life plan, but after reading your article I think I'd have to start thinking about it more often.
(ID #308013) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:33
Hmm... There's a stormtrooper with a guitar, but with a headband? Afraid of trademark infringement? ^^; I also see Family Guy's Asian Reporter Tricia Takanawa there. While I like ze art its too busy for me to display anywhere. I see cauliflower... I can't stand the stuff. But I also see Dad's rootbeer which I like. Where the heck did you find Dad's Rootbeer in Japan?? Strangest thing I've seen in a window is a naked woman in Vegas, but that's another story... Mirai T-shirts? Where can I get?
(ID #307896) Posted on 2008/09/20 17:31
Director/代表取締役
Rootbeer from Costco. Thank the heavens for Costco. Mirai T-shirt was made for me by a reader called 0ne.
(ID #307992) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:04
Full-time student へへ
i gave up on prison break halfway through season 2. i felt the whole conspiracy theory thing kinda dragged the show on too much. season 1 was good. that was when it was really "prison break" ^^. love the lone red carriage shot. didn't notice it before, isn't it mirai's younger sis in a maid outfit at the bottom of this page?
(ID #307906) Posted on 2008/09/20 17:54
Director/代表取締役
No Maid outfit for Haruka yet.
(ID #307994) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:05
Isn't that lady from the Smap clip a korean actress or something?
(ID #307907) Posted on 2008/09/20 17:54
Director/代表取締役
It sure is.
(ID #307995) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:05
I like how danny change the heads of figma ^.^ .I see Nagato with rin's body ^.^ As for internet cafe.....it's very popular in my region...although we usually call it cyber cafe , dunno if it's the same or not O.o .
(ID #307909) Posted on 2008/09/20 17:55
Really, great sushi at Costco?
(ID #307919) Posted on 2008/09/20 18:05
Director/代表取締役
Our costco sells a load of Japanese food too.
(ID #307996) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:06
Otaku/Computer tech/Student
I'm always contemplating what to do next in order to reach my goals in life. By the way, I want to buy dannychoo.com merchandise, shirts like that one in your pictures and such. :p
(ID #307929) Posted on 2008/09/20 18:24
Director/代表取締役
Merchandising will probably be sometime next year.
(ID #307997) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:06
What was that on your spaghetti? Salami? Ham? p.s. for some reason mikuru unchou freaks me out a little ^^;;
(ID #307939) Posted on 2008/09/20 18:40
Director/代表取締役
Salami desu.
(ID #307998) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:06
So many foods and now I'm hungry!!!!!! Danny, you should start selling those Mirai Tshirts/hoodie!!!!!! I would buy one!!!!!!!
(ID #307940) Posted on 2008/09/20 18:45
Online Shop
Whenever I see the 'A Week in Tokyo' posts, it makes me wonder why I don't eat the variety of food like Danny does when I'm in Japan. Next time for sure >_< I want to start doing something at 35 too but not exactly sure what I want to do. One thing is to live in Japan maybe but not sure that is doable at that age without proper job. Maybe I need to start learning Japanese now!
(ID #307941) Posted on 2008/09/20 18:47
I have a lot of time to think at my work and I usually use it to either daydream about anime or plan my future. Of course, Ive been doing it so long now that its the same yarn every time. I think about how long until I graduate and get my bachelors, the certifications Ill try to get (CISCO, etc) and the companies Ill try to apply to so that I do more interesting/higher paying work while I attend the big University Ill transfer to. I also think about the bills I have to pay and plan out my expenditures for the next couple of weeks to a month. Right now, I have no money to spend on figurines... one more month of that and Ill be debt free. Then Ill get myself an Xbox360. At this point in my life there is very little I can do to speed things up but it feels like Im wasting time when Im not doing something "important". Haha, oh well.
(ID #307946) Posted on 2008/09/20 18:57
Videogame Magazine Editor
I guess I haven't gotten to that stage of what I want to do next in my life as I was only recently promoted as the editor for my magazine. There's some political uncertainty in Malaysia at the moment and until it's resolved, it's hard to say whether I'll remain in Malaysia or not. I guess I'll re-evaluate my life plans in a year or two, once I've more experience as a videogame magazine editor. As for weirdest stuff I've seen in a window...well, I saw some interesting erotic anime figurines at a condom/airsoft gun shop in Bali. I took some pictures of the shop's interior here. http://gamerslitterbox.com/?p=55 Definitely the weirdest shop I've ever visited in the region.
(ID #307952) Posted on 2008/09/20 19:23
wow.. guns, figures and condoms.. kinda of a weird combi.. i think the strongest link between those 3 things are that they are pretty much plastic or rubber stuff?
(ID #309136) Posted on 2008/09/22 02:05
setting goals huh... well i suppose i should... but i am still contemplating my course of study much less a career! while it's no excuse, i just find it really caustic to think about the future. there are times when i see people working so hard, eg the bus driver, the cleaners and my dad ^^, i feet a great sense of humility and respect for these individuals who have sloughed it out throughout the years earning a living. I yearn to be like that too, to enjoy my work and to set an example for my children and future generations to come. But to even get a headstart in all that, I need to seriously choose which field to specialise in. hey danny, i would like to take this opportunity to enquire about well the IT industry... is there any way i can contact ya privately? i realise ya prefer emails that are succinct and concise, so i will try to keep it short!
(ID #307953) Posted on 2008/09/20 19:23
Director/代表取締役
Ask here and I will write up an article about it. I was going to do one soon anyway.
(ID #307999) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:08
It would be kind of cool to hear what the IT industry is like in other parts of the world...I know some programmers here have employment problems, it seems people with Cisco certifications who really know what they are doing have the best job stability (in this area anyways).
(ID #311330) Posted on 2008/09/24 04:45
Videogame Magazine Editor
Oh just a quick comment on that Nihon Town art by Ken Taya there - it's absolutely wonderful! It's so chockfull of amalgations of Western and Eastern pop culture that it made me squeal with delight.
(ID #307958) Posted on 2008/09/20 19:32
I always set my goals as my top priority, with hard work I'm sure I can face the challenges in life. The food Danny eats makes me hungry. mmmm~ Internet cafe's are pretty popular here.
(ID #307984) Posted on 2008/09/20 20:38
I'm trusting your translation of the last picture (#22143), though the picture looks like its portraying the dangers of heat stroke.
(ID #308022) Posted on 2008/09/20 22:14
yea i thought it looked like a warning for dehydration.
(ID #308138) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:14
me wants bikini Mirai t-shirt too ^_^ life plan? not so often only when im really really down ohh and in new years day i plan or imagine where im gonna do or be in that year
(ID #308035) Posted on 2008/09/20 22:29
resident caffeine junkie
Wonderful Food for thought post again Danny. :) I do try to think about what I want to do or where I want to be in the near future but not to far off nor too often as I believe if we keep think about the future, we often forget what we have now.
(ID #308058) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:18
i recommend you should go watch season 1 and 2 Danny. its much more tense. but yeah we used to have season 1 and 2 air on our local TV station. and about planing. yep i plan mostly plan my things in advance. sometimes years in advance. this year i'm going to start learning Japanese and probably after college going to try and move to Japan if all goes right for me.
(ID #308071) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:39
my favorite time of the week (A week in tokyo series) I try to plan ahead in life at least twice a month. we have net cafes out here but expensive. now I am feeling very hungry that art work is fantastic
(ID #308073) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:40
I think having action is better than planning. (at least you will not regret for doing nothing)
(ID #308086) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:54
daichouginga in Byston Well, the land between the earth and the sea (Registered on 2008/06/04 10:04)
Professional Bum Mode
Back in my good ol' country, net cafes are everywhere because of the LAN games people plays(not all people has a good internet connection to play online). Why does the tokyo dance trooper in 22142 doesn't have an armband? lol About planning, I have a vague idea about what I want to do in the future, but I don't specifically plan short term.
(ID #308101) Posted on 2008/09/21 00:19
I haven't pondered about or planned out my next steps in life and my carreer well enough yet. Which I really should as I'm now past 30 and want to get to the next level. Working in the IT industry though I found it hasn't been that easy to progress. While I'm more motivated, interested and hard working that a large bulk of the other people in the same workpool I feel I'm being (ab)used too much and not getting anywhere. A lot of (vague) promises are made to me but after a while I realize that coworkers who perform far less and show no care get further ahead and aren't even tired when they go home. It's as if taking easy street is more rewarded there... this becomes frustrating after several years. I don't like being frustrated, I want to do motivating, fun work in a good atmosphere and get propper compensation for it.
(ID #308104) Posted on 2008/09/21 00:23
Part human, part student, 100% loser
I never plan what I'm going to do, I just take it as it is... I would like to change though...
(ID #308149) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:22
nice view from the roof, terrible spaghetti in the plate. beautifull illustration and nice week!
(ID #308151) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:27
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
Everytime I see Danny's week in Tokyo posts I get hungry... I wonder why. :P Lucky me there's a japanese festival going on today... so, japanese matsuri food in a couple of hours. I think I'll take some figure today to take a pic. About planning... while I do plan in short therm, I don't do much for long therm. I mean, I know I'll give up on my current course and start journalism next year, but not much apart. I'm planning for some months a bus tour to an anime event early next year too. I want to go back to Japan in some years, but I'm not shure if I'll be able to stay longer there. I'm still a bachelor, so no plans about marriage, kids, etc etc. And I'd like to say I want to have a stable job in some years... I should worry more about this, but I still didn't find the one job that I would feel happy being stable at. I'm hoping journalism will reveal something in this direction. The only thing I know is that I like to write, and I'm not bad at it (though still need some improvement), so...
(ID #308184) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:59
Prison Break 1 and 2 were fantabulous. In my opinion it was the best 2. Seems to be dragging too long going into season 4.
(ID #308198) Posted on 2008/09/21 02:11
great post Danny, nice views, weird shop window, interesting food. Mirai merchandise sounds cool, it'd be even better if GoodSmile had a part in it
(ID #308244) Posted on 2008/09/21 03:25
Ah~? Is that sushi really from Costco, Danny? The sushi that Costco sells over here looks like something from hell. It tastes like cardboard.
(ID #308248) Posted on 2008/09/21 03:32
Director/代表取締役
Sure is. I was surprised too.
(ID #308432) Posted on 2008/09/21 10:42
all riiiiight!! Tokyo Dance Trooper
(ID #308275) Posted on 2008/09/21 04:03
Student/Part-timer
Yea Ive been watching Prison Break since its premiere season. It's really been going around in circles now. Anyways, good to see kagamin in the pictures now, <3 more than haruhi ^^
(ID #308279) Posted on 2008/09/21 04:07
cool! i was gonna ask how much programming a IT job entails and how hard programming is for beginners. I am also interested in web and gaming related stuff, albeit casually... there's a course here in singapore called information systems management, which marries both business and IT, which i find appealing for someone with only a basic background in computing, since emphasis is spread evenly between the two areas...
(ID #308304) Posted on 2008/09/21 04:48
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
Dude you have Costco In Japan??!?!? Thats amazing lol, I thought they were only here in the states.
(ID #308311) Posted on 2008/09/21 04:54
college student
they have it in china too XD its world wide just so u know ^^
(ID #308324) Posted on 2008/09/21 05:29
Director/代表取締役
There's one in Yokohama and one near Makuhari.
(ID #309427) Posted on 2008/09/22 09:59
college student
danny!!! u made me want to go live in japan more >.< im saving money to buy a konata figma on the USA amazon XD
(ID #308325) Posted on 2008/09/21 05:29
Never watched Prison Break... I would eat at that ramen shop. And the strangest thing I've seen in a window was a priest's chalice, in a thrift store. I still regret not buying it. E^D
(ID #308391) Posted on 2008/09/21 09:04