Those crazy Japanese...

Here's a list of some strange cultural indiosyncracies:
In Japan...
1.) never whistle at night (it summons evil spirits, of course).
2.) you should not, under any circumstances, move anything with your feet, it's barbaric.
3.) do not eat or drink while walking, it's very rude.
4.) you should slurp while eating, otherwise it's offensive to the hosts and chef.
5.) do not cut your fingernails at night, or toenails for that matter.
6.) never stick your chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice or else it's considered an offering to the dead.
7.) never knock on a door more than twice.
8.) always face a door while closing it.
9.) never use a peice of furniture in a way it was not meant to be used (e.g. never sit on a desk).
10.) never pass food from chopstick to chopstick.
11.) do not hold your chopsticks while drinking with the other hand.

Pics are in!!!

My predecessor sent me some photos of my apartment, my school and Ishinomaki (my city). The links are on the right.

Blog is up

Hey everybody, I'm still figuring out this whole blog thing, so this is only a test...