Is there a "Brighter Side" to the "Land of the Rising Sun?"

Well is there?
Who am I to tell you?
I think that with all things there's always a deodorant to cover up the smells.

Well the choice has been made and I have sealed my fate for the next year. I am going to be staying over here in Japan until July of 2006. I know that it is a tough pill to swallow, but it's the truth.

So here are my thoughts on the whole situation: I enjoy the country. I enjoy the experiences that I have had over here. I know that at times I may seem to be a little uneasy about being here, but cut me some slack I took a big plunge in coming here in the first place. It really is a trip and I think that in me staying another year I will be able to get the most out of everything. And "yes" Dad, I will hopefully know at least half of the Japanese Alphabet before leaving after two years (author's note: Kanji is Chinese, not Japanese; therefore it is exempt).

But who cares about all that sappy crap? I have to have some funny stories or tales that I can give ya...let's think...Okay, here's one (and yes it has to do with food).

So I have eaten some funky things over here. But let's face it, one of the top things to do in Japan is go out to eat. Let me explain: you all know that the land mass is small, the population density is high, and that Japanese food is often "strange." Okay; with that knowledge we can also assume the following: that the average Japanese house is quite small, people often want to spend time with one another, and people have to eat. Leading to the basic statement/thought: "Living in Japan involves often eating outside of ones house and is often used as a social function and escape from the tiny apartment that many people call home and dungeon." So I stretched it a little.

Anyway, I ate Fugu (spelling may be way off...but I don't care). In English it is called a puffer-fish or blow-fish, you know, the poisonous one that Homer ate improperly cut and thought that he was going to die. Well...it tasted fine to me and I'm still kicking 24 hours after consumption. It did taste a little like chicken though...poison chicken.

Wanna hear what else I've eaten that was gross? me neither. This topic turned south real quick.
Lessons over.