Updates on the Corona Virus in Japan

Greetings all.

So for the sake of trying to give people an honest and fair assessment of what is happening in Japan with the Corona virus situation, I thought I would share information from conversations I had with a friend who works directly under Japan’s Minister of the Environment. (環境省)

While the information he shared is nothing top-secret, it is a current and objective assessment of the situation from a governmental position. He is also the father of a young child who takes his child’s safety as seriously as I do my own. Over the years I have gone to him for situational assessments on everything from Fukushima Nuclear Crisis to the last super typhoon. I’ve found I can always trust him to just be honest, straight-forward and objective.

In this blog, I'll talk about the current state of the Corona virus here. In the next blog I’ll get into the current thinking on what is going to happen with the Olympics.

The Current Situation: 

While Japan started off with a higher number of cases than other places (which personally I think is from how the Diamond Princess situation was handled), as you can see from the graph, the rate of infection here is actually way slower than most other places (which may in part be due to the fact that that situation made everyone wary from get-go). We still haven’t hit the peak of the curve here yet, but compared to most other places Japan still has one of the lowest rates of infection. It’s thought to be for the following reasons. Most of them are cultural. 

• Even before the virus, as Japanese people are used to living in extremely tight quarters, they already had a culture of avoiding physical contact. Generally even within families people rarely hug, kiss, or touch each other or even get in close proximity (in compared to other places like Italy where people hug and kiss to say hello)
• Additionally, along the same lines people also already have a culture of wearing masks on a daily basis to protect others from catching infectious diseases. Masks don’t do much for protecting you; but they do actually work for protecting everyone else from you.
• Central Air conditioning systems are generally not widely used here. (Instead Japanese people usually use stand-alone one room units) Central Air Conditioning is how they think it spread through hospitals in Italy so quickly. For example, an infected person in one room sneezes, it gets into the system, and is spread through the air conditioning system. (Japan has already taken steps to stop using air con on the trains and is using an alternate back-up system of cooling them with air from outside.
• People here usually keep the windows open all the time. (Even in the winter). While this particular behavior stemmed from the fact that it’s extremely humid and everything molds quickly, in this case, it is also thought that proper open-air ventilation makes a big difference in slowing the spread of the virus.
• In general, contrasting with westerners, Japanese people tend to be more pessimistic and worry-prone. Particularly when it comes to health and disease because, again, everyone lives so close to each other. As such, even if the government response was slow, the response of the people was fast compared with the west. 

In effect, while a lot of these things have always been difficult to deal with as a foreigner living here (the fact that no one likes to hug; the windows are always open even when it’s cold, the fact that people seem excessively risk-averse, etc) in this case they have all created a culture that is well prepared for dealing with this kind of thing.

How safe is it to go out?

Right now the government has classified the country into 3 likes of areas: 

• High-risk 
• Medium-risk
• Low-risk

Low-Risk Areas
In the current thinking, because the national contraction rate is so low, it’s basically okay to get back to business as usual... but provided that everyone remains careful and cognizant of the fact that the threat is still there.

Medium-Risk Areas

This is where Tokyo falls. Insomuch as I know, Hokkaido currently has the highest rate of infection. As such, it is thought that people can return to going about their business, but they need to proceed very very carefully, avoid excessive time with other people or lots of personal contact, and follow protocols of regular hand-washing, keeping windows opens, keeping a bit of distance and trying not to touch others or one’s face.

High-Risk Areas
It’s still best to practice social distancing as much as humanly possible.

All that being said, as aforementioned, it also important to remember that we still haven’t hit the top of the curve yet, so if people relax too much, that can change at any moment. Basically we can carefully proceed to getting back to life as usual, but if things take a turn for the worse, its important that to remember that we could go right back to having to be on lock-down. In general, the fastest way to spread infection is still travel however, so it's still best to avoid international travel and/or traveling between cities, being on rush-hour trains, etc as much as possible.

Also, just for everyone's information, here are the sites that I am getting the charts from. They offer current updates on the situation in both Japanese and English for anyone that wants to check regularly.

https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/covid19/country_count.html
https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/covid19/pdf/graph_suii1_E.JPG
 https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/covid19/pdf/graph_suii2_E.JPG
https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/covid19/pdf/graph_suii3_E.JPG https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/covid19/pdf/graph_suii4.JPG

Hope this helps!

Capturing the perfect moment: Sunset & Night view on Mt. Inasa in Nagasaki

People gathered at the top of Mt. Inasa in Nagasaki to take in
one of the top three night views in the world. 

So, we have arrived in Nagasaki; our final destination for the Dinosaur Zoo tour. I have been here before when I first visited Japan (about 15 years ago), and aside from remembering that it really reminded me of Hong Kong, I can't even recall what had brought me here or how I managed to get here. Just that I was here at some point.

In any event, being there were two things that I really really wanted to do: 1) was visit , the abandoned Island fortress where they filmed the end of 007: Skyfall. The other thing was to see Nagasaki's mountain top night view, which is in the top 3 in the world, (alongside Hong Kong and Monaco).

Tried to make the trip out to Gunkan during the day, but unfortunately the weather was quite disagreeable, continually oscillating between blue skies and downpour. For reasons unbeknownst to us, our boat actually left 5 min early, and we missed it... but then we found out that there were two other tours that tried to go, but couldn't actually land on the island. As such, alongside the folks I was going with, we decided that it wouldn't be worth the 4500yen ($45) it would cost to "try", and we decided to let it go.

When I visited Nagasaki about 15 years ago, all I remembered
was that it reminded me a lot of Hong Kong. 

As for the night view, the weather was still a bit unpredictable, but it seemed to be holding, so I thought it was better to try than not, so I went off on my own. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I made it there while there was still plenty of daylight, so I got to see it during the day, take in the sunset from the top, and then see it at night. The weather was simply perfect, and I can't even begin to describe the sunset. The pictures just don't even remotely do it justice. The fact that I was there alone actually made it all the better because there was no one to talk to, and nothing to distrct from the moment. There were other people up there, but they weren't talking to me, so I could just put on my headphones, listen to my music of choice and fully, quietly and peacefully completely embrace the moment. On my facebook page not too long ago, I posted a TED talk about the difference between joy and happiness. For myself, this moment represented perfect joy.

The view did look like the more remote areas of Hong Kong, and it reminded me of when I used to live there, climb a different mountain every weekend, and sit at the top reading books by myself all day.

It also reminded me of this time when I was sailing around the world on Peaceboat we were in really rough waters. About half of the ship's 1000 passengers (myself included) where absolutely sick as dogs, and just laying all over the floor trying not to vomit. One of my friends (at this point, I don't even remember who), suggested that we go up to the top deck to film something, but I was so damn sick, I didn't want to move. Nor did I wanna get soaked. Finally, as watching the waves does actually alleviate seasickness I decided to heed his words, and the two of us went up to the top deck while everyone else stayed below. When we came out the door, the storm had stopped, and the world's most epic cumulus cloud ocean sunset was unveiling itself. What's more, unbeknownst to everyone else, we were in the middle of a Dolphin Superpod. There had to be at least 1,000 of them. Jumping, flipping, twisting and playing as far as the eye can see. There were even a few sea turtles swimming alongside the ship. Nothing in life has ever beat that, but this sunset was an easy #2. As my Taekwondo teacher from Korea used to say, even when the olds aren't in your favor, or it may not make sense to anyone else, "Trying is important."

A small slice of Nagasaki's epic and hyper-panoramic night view. 

The night from the the top of Mt. Inasa in Nagasaki is considered
one of the best in the world. 

The equally epic gate to the Nagasaki ropeway. The ropeway actually starts
at the back of a temple.

Kobe: Wealth, Gangsters, and Breathtaking Cityscapes

While the past 2 months of touring with Dinosaur Zoo has given a chance to see a lot of Japan's countryside and cityscapes, in terms of the latter, easily the most striking stop has been Kobe. While working for Peaceboat, a Japanese NGO that sails people around the world about a decade ago, I had a brief stop in the Kobe's port, but I wasn't there anywhere long enough to make an impression of the city either way. As such, I welcomed this chance to see the city again, and quite frankly I was blown away.

Living in Tokyo, which according to Finance Online, is currently the wealthiest city in the world, I'm not a stranger to seeing clean streets, amazing architecture and constant supercars. All that being said however, when you get into Tokyo's back streets, and away from it's shiny main streets, you still see grime. There is still graffiti, crows digging through garbage, and cockroaches scurrying in it's hyper-narrow back alleys. While carefully tucked away and generally out of sight, all of the city's major areas have back streets and a grimy underbelly that is there if you look closely.

When I was in Kobe, however, I didn't see any of that. Major or minor, every street was pristinely clean. Granted, I did only have two days there, but try as I might, I couldn't even find Graffiti. Talking to our tour manager George, he told me that Kobe is actually known for that. (Coincidentally, it's also known for having beef so good that Kobe Bryant's father named him after it.) In general, Japanese people take an incredible amount of pride in outward appearance, and pretty much anywhere in the country you won't find trash on the street, or so much as a spot of rust on a car... but Kobe seemed to take it to another level. As one of the country's older port cities, it is also known for cosmopolitanism, and fashion, and the Japanese themselves say "If you can't go to Paris, you go to Kobe." 

Oxymoronically however, one of the other interesting things about the city is that despite how clean it is, it also harbors the country's largest Yakuza organization, Yamaguchi-Gumi, which is one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. With over 20,000 members, and activities stretching to other areas of Asia and even in the US, the Yamaguchi-Gumi makes billions of dollars per year and has a higher income than a lot of small countries. That could explain some of the wealth.

Even the theatre we performed in, the biggest (and nicest so far) illustrated the wealth and the class of this city. 

Recently, as there has been a splintering in the Yamaguchi-Gumi, many have feared that this would lead to violence in the city, but if there was any, the city certainly didn't show any scars from it. Would love to come back here and explore this place again sometime. Maybe next time I can find some graffiti.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaguchi-gumi
https://financesonline.com/10-wealthiest-cities-in-the-world-its-not-new-york-or-london-at-the-top/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe

Hokkaido vs. Michigan: Comparing and Contrasting

A view of the central avenue in Sapporo from our theatre venue. 

So after 15 years in Japan, Ive finally managed to make it to a city I've always wanted to visit here- Sapporo. It's in Japan's northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido. As it's on the same longitute and is equally as green, wide-open and natural as my own home state of Michigan, so I've always wanted to compare and contrast. Upon arrival, from the airport in Hokkaido, we had a long drive to Sapporo, and looking out the window, sure enough, it was basically indistinguishable from the side of the road in Michigan- low rolling hills, and nothing but deciduous greenery (or farms) on either side of the road for as far as the eye can see.

Driving through the countryside in Hokkaido, mountains aside,
it looks just like Michigan. 

There were a few differences though. For one it's actually a lot colder. In August, Michigan is still fairly hot with temps between 20-30C (70-85F) where as here was pretty cool at15C (about 60F) degrees). That may be unseasonal however. Anyway, it was cool enough that you need a light Jacket and pants to be comfortable- especially at night- and seeing how Tokyo is about 100F right now, that was pretty shocking.

Another big difference I have noticed is that the sun still sets quite early. In Michigan, in the summer it doesn't get dark until 10pm or so; here, it gets dark at about 6:30pm; only about a 10 min. difference from Tokyo, despite being considerably farther north. After puzzling on this for a while, I thought a googling was in order, and came to find out that the reason is because 1) there is no daylight savings time in Japan, and 2) the tilt of the Earth's axis causes vastly different sunrise and sunset times depending on where you are. So apparently being father north does not automatically guarantee a longer day as I always assumed it did.

Sapporo itself was a cool city. For starters, it was considerably bigger than I thought; all I needed was to take the cable car up Mt. Moiwa on the edge of the city to see so. From where we were staying downtown, it was only a 15 cab ride there, and then 6 min. up in the cable car to get to the top, so it was easy to do in about 2 hours or so. It was only more time consuming coming down because we stayed for the night view (which is apparently one of the top three in Japan), which EVERYONE seems to come for and was super packed on the way out.

The view of Sapporo at dusk from Mt. Moiwa

While the day view was cool, what people really come to
Mt. Moiwa to see is Sapporo's night view. 

Sapporo's TV Tower

Rainy Day View from the TV Tower

As it was raining for our first new days there, I didn't do much in the city, but tried to make it out to the Sapporo TV tower, the only other main attraction in the city. Not a bad view at all, but I got drenched walking there. I didn't realize that much like Toronto and Chicago's Pedway,  the city is filled with underground tunnels for getting around in the winter when the city is slammed with snow. I was really grateful for them on the way back, although I wish I wasn't already soaked. There is also a moderate subway system; although not nearly as comprehensive as Tokyo's. Taxis were also not too difficult to catch and started at 690 yen.



Given the fact that 90% of the time, I don't really go out, party or doing touristy, it was fun to take in a bit of the city. I could really see living here...if it wasn't for the fact that there is no film/ entertainment industry, (which constitutes half or more of the work I do), and without it I think I would just get bored. Haven't seen the winter here either, lol. One other start difference between here and Michigan is that this place is just covered in mountains. And while we do get snow for a good part of the winter, this place just gets slammed, and it's more or less all powder snow. I've heard time and time again that Hokkaido is a skier and snowboarders heaven- so much in fact that the town of Niseko is apparently largely populated by Australians. lol

Hokkaido's winters are intensely cold, so Sapporo is filled with
underground tunnels to walk around in and connect the subway
stations. 

Seeing as how I haven't touched my snowboard in at least 3 years now (due to the knee injury) I think it might be time to dust it off and make a trip up here again to see how it is in the winter ;)

Another interesting city was Obihiro. While Sapporo felt a bit like Chicago, Obihiro with it's low skyline felt a lot like Lansing.

On the promo tour with Erth

Yutaka and I with the Triceratops Rig.

Just arrived in Hiroshima, our first stop on the Erth Dinosaur Zoo promo tour with Yutaka, who will be operating the back legs of the triceratops rig I'll be driving for the full Japan tour in a few months. The last show/presentation we did was in the Australian Embassy in Tokyo, and this one will be in Hiroshima airport. In general, I love Tokyo, but it's always nice to be able to get out of the city sometimes and see other areas of Japan. Especially if my official excuse is driving a robotic dinosaur, lol.

For only having a few hours of rehearsal with the rig before our first show, Yutaka has done an awesome job. As the full rig weighs about 70kg (the operators wear it like a tandem backpack) I was a bit concerned that our height difference would mean I would be bearing a disproportionate amount of the weight, but thanks to his keen scene of movement and his body, it wasn't an issue in the least.   I'm really glad to be able to bring him with me on this one. Looking forward to the show tomorrow!

On our way to Hiroshima.

Our producer/director, Scott, showing my son the Triceratops rig. I still don't think he knows that his Dad is inside, lol. 

10 Ways You Know You Are the Parent of a Toddler.

With my son Ty just after his 3rd birthday. 

So, after posting my last blog on my trip to Australia, I noticed and re-read another blog I had written just after my son was born, called 10 Thoughts I Had While Watching my Son's Birth. Coincidentally, my son has just turned 3, which means it's been almost exactly three years since I wrote that. As such, and given how much has changed since then, (my son is now a toddler) , I thought it might be time for my next "Daddy" post. For those who are still taking care of babies, here, my friends, is what you have to look forward to.

10 Ways you know you are the parent of a toddler: 

10. When the fresh box of tissues you put on the kitchen table in the morning has been replaced with a massive pile of crumbled tissues by the afternoon... and or tissue shreds... everywhere.

9. When the same thing happens to the fresh roll of toilet paper you put in the bathroom.

8. When you say to your wife:

"Yeah, he has diarrhea. But don't worry, he's good. I already changed his clothes, and diaper and flushed the poo down the toilet."

and she responds:

"Oh my God!!! That's the sexiest thing you've ever said!!!

7. When your son takes a massive dump in his diaper, and you are so proud of his man-sized turd that your wife has to stop you from sharing photos of it on social media.

6. When it's 5:00am and your son thinks it's important enough to wake you up to tell you that the thing on your wrist is a watch. Over and over again... until you are wide awake. And then he goes back to sleep.

5. When the songs that are constantly stuck in your head have choruses like:
"Lots of words begin with the letter B! Open a book! How many words do you see? Beginning with the letter B."

4. When your Youtube playlist consists of titles like "Rubber Duckie Monster Truck Colors".

3. When you start to worry because no one storms into the bathroom to interrupt you while you are trying to do a #2.

2. When a "fantastic meal" is any one that you can actually finish in the restaurant without worrying about yelling, crying, or having to apologize to random strangers getting hit in the face with a flying lego.

1. When you have this little creature that is sick as hell, coughing constantly, and sneezing snot rockets everywhere staring at you with outstretched arms that say "Daddy, pick me up." ...and you know that if you do, you are gonna get sick as hell too, and it's going to ruin your life for the next two weeks... but you still do it anyway; because you know that little creature is your little creature, and if it makes him feel better- even just for a minute- it's totally worth it.

2017- Looking backward...and (more importantly) forward.

Sunset in my hometown at the end of 2016; looking forward
bright sunrises in 2017. 

First blog in over a year. Actually two. But with 2016 and all of it’s perils behind us, I thought that it was time to push forward, and in doing so, actually reach back- back to the source, the original motivation, and the “f*ck this, no excuses” attitude that has gotten me this far. 

At the beginning of 2016, I listed out ten goals that I had for the year, and publicly stated them on Facebook so that I would have everyone to hold me accountable. So what I would like to do now is take note of those goals, what I could do, what I could not, and why. 

First off the ones that are completed: 

Pay off all of my credit cards- DONE. 

Reach 1,000,000 Hits on Youtube- DONE. (Currently at 1.3 Mil)

Work on my first International Film Project- DONE (Wrote a Thai action feature film)

Get a Japanese Driver’s Licence- DONE

The ones that are not, progress report, and reason for failure: 

Goal: Get down to 87kg (from 93kg)

Progress: Currently 90kg- halfway there.

Reason for Failure: Having Ty meant a general lack of sleep. Lack of sleep equates to laziness at workouts, higher cravings for sweet foods, and and far less physiological efficiency in fat burning. (If you don’t sleep well, you don’t burn fat well). 

Goal: Get my Ariel and TKD 720 kicks back

Progress:  landing them both again… but not consistently. 

Reason for Failure: Fine tune Athletic performance goals and weight loss goals are at odds with each other. The latter means you have less energy to work with; the former means you need to be running at your peak. Also goes back to the lack of sleep, and the crazy work load that goes with trying to feed a kid. Need to sleep more, and earn more per hour of work done. 

Goal: Create an extra $500 a month of passive income through video production. 

Progress: A little under halfway there- adding two more revenue streams in the next few months. 

Reason for Failure: One income backfired- in the short term cost more than it made- had to work more to compensate for the loss; consequently had less time and resources to produce. 

Goal: Complete the Kumon Japanese Grammar course, and move into the classic literature section. (2000 pages of work)

Progress: 1800 pages down. 100 pages into the classic literature section. 

Reason for Failure: Was waiting on the last package of notes to arrive before I left for Michigan, but they got lost in the mail and arrived after I left. (><)
Had I completed the previous section on my timing target there would have been time to get the last packet- even if it got lost in the mail. Shouldn’t have relaxed once I got near the finish line. 

Goal: Finish my current Korean textbook- 

Progress: Halfway there. 

Reason for Failure: Korean teacher’s husband got sick, and cancelled classes indefinitely mid-year. Didn’t find a new teacher. Ultimately no excuse. 

5/10. I don’t see this as a passing grade. Life always has challenges, and there are always roadblocks; but successful people are like sharks; they can only swim forward. As such, I have every intention of completing the remaining 6 goals, and as I complete them, add in several more:

1. Learn how to use the Tonfa, Sai, Western Single Sword, (Currently I can use Nunchaku, and Bo staff, and sword), as well as at least 3 firearms. 

2. Fully graduate from Kumon (complete the 600 pages of classic literature study).
3. Produce my next film or series. (4 projects currently in the works). 

4. Rebuild my person branding (which suffered a lot in the last year). Get back to Youtube and blogging and hit it hard. 

5. Rebuild my action instruction program, and (investor willing) open a brick-and-mortar gym. 

6.Reach a personal savings goal. (which I won’t publicly state so as to have the time and financial affordance to move in the right direction). 

2016 may have been a rough year (seemingly for everyone), but at least for myself, I plan on seeing 2017 at the opposite end of the spectrum. Day 2 now. Enough rest. Time to hit it hard. YOSH. 

10 Thoughts I had watching my son's birth.

With my son Taiga, about 5 minutes after his delivery.

So recently, (April 12th, 2015), I had the exhalted pleasure of welcoming my son, Taiga (大我）into the world. He was kind enough to arrive healthy and strong on exactly his due date, and all things considered, he arrived relatively smoothly. (At least from my perspective- after 18 hours of serious pain, my wife might would argue otherwise).

In any event, as this was also my first opportunity to observe a live childbirth,  I thought this might also be an interesting opportunity to share my thoughts on the process with other fathers to be.

Here are the top ten (private) thoughts I had during the process.






During the first few hours of labor

10. Damn, the Wifey's a beast. Don't know how she hasn't passed out yet. RESPECT.

(While she's yelling in pain)
9. I wonder if everyone else on the this floor of the hospital can hear this.

(After asking her a simple question).
8. Woah, quick temper. I better chose my words carefully for the next few hours.

7. Schadenfreude.

Once Delivery Began

6. WTF???!!! This sh*t is crazy!!

5. Jesus, that's a lot of blood.

4. Yep. I totally understand why a lot of dudes pass out when they watch this sh*t.

3. Yep. I totally see how this process could kill someone.

2. It looks like her sh*t is trying to cough up a giant hairball.

After delivery when seeing my son for the first time. 

(Teary eyed).
1. That wrinkly little bloody mess is simply the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

10 (more) Ways that Life in Japan Kicks Ass.

A recent shot I took of Tokyo from the newly-constructed
Skytree, overlooking Shinjuku with Mt. Fuji in the distance. 

So, recently, I read an article on Collegehumor.com called 10 ways that Japan is Beating Everyone Else. And while the article was cute, and funny I thought, it didn't actually go into all of the main reasons that so many people who come here simply never leave. (Myself included- I only planned on staying here a year, and now here I am writing this 12 years later). Of course as an American, I still love my country (and ooooh do I miss the pizza and supreme nachos at times- thank goodness Japan has Costco!!) but there are a range of reasons while I took up residency here... And these are my top ten. 

1) Health Insurance
While Brits or Europeans (who have free universal health care everywhere) may not agree with me on this one, for Americans this one is huge. General health insurance is universally free for kids under 15, and quite affordable for everyone else. A good example of this was the cost of my knee rehab; I was going to the same high level clinic that Circ de Sole performers go to for their needs, and with insurance, paying only $7.00 a session. Even without insurance however, medical care is still subsidized, so I would only be paying $21.00. With that, I could easily afford to get the healthcare I needed to get back on my feet and back to work; while had I been in the states, the same injury might have been career-ending.

This drew a stark contrast to the last time I had an injury in the states. The doctor I saw at a clinic unofficially told me to pretend that we hadn't met, because if we had, he would have to put me in an ambulance, and that ambulance ride would have cost me $5000. (Whereas here, like pretty much everywhere else in the 1st world- they are totally free). Despite having a serious neck injury, he told me my best bet was to take a chance and drive myself to the hospital trying as best I could not to move my neck...which I did. And even so, just getting the MRI cost $1000... Which took nearly a year of ongoing negotiation with my employee (where the injury occurred) to get back. 

While Canadians also get free universal health care, I have heard complaints from well-to-do people that even when they are willing to pay for superior service, they still have to get the same care as everyone else...and deal with the impossibly long waits. Whereas here, basic healthcare costs are doable for everyone, but there are options for much better care for those who are willing to pay for it. 

FYI, Japan also became ranked as having the lowest infant mortality rate of anywhere in the world. Contrasting that with the states, last I checked, we are #34.

2) Credit Cards work like they are supposed to
Only people who have proven financial responsibility in the first place are allowed to have them. There is no predatory lending, like they do on college campuses on the states. and balances are expected to be paid off monthly. In the case that they can, a 2-3 month payment plan can be set for that balance, and that's all. Furthermore, the kind of interest rates that American credit cards have is actually illegal. (Out here 14% is considered insanely high- and the 29% that many US cards charge these days is actually more along the lines of what loan sharks and the Yakuza takes. 

3) Theft is virtually nonexistent
 Out of the 34 countries that I have been do, I can honestly say, Japan is the only one where you can drop a $100 on the ground and then just go to the Police station to pick it up... Because someone always turns it in. The same goes with wallets full of cash and credit cards, expensive cameras, etc. While white collar theft does transpire, cases of personal theft or loss of personal items are quite rare and few and far between.

4) Political mudslinging doesn't really exist
While it isn't illegal, in Japanese politics attacking a politician based on their personal life is considered immortal, and is seriously frowned upon. Political candidates do attack each other, but it is always focused purely on the basis of their campaign, what they plan to do in office, or how they are doing their job. This is about as far removed from the states as you can get.

5) Virtually everywhere is clean, and virtually everywhere is safe
One of the most striking things about Tokyo for most visitors is that contrasting with most other big cities  or countries (that have some nice areas, and some dirty, bad or dangerous areas) In general, virtually everywhere is perfectly clean, and safe. And this goes for pretty much everywhere in the country. 

Even in a place like Tokyo (that has 10 of the world's busiest train stations), everyone is generally concerned about the health and cleanliness of their city. No one ever litters (even when garbage cans are hard to find), rusted or leaky cars are non-existant, and sick people usually wear a mask to stop other strangers from getting sick. Many people wear masks just to prevent themselves from getting sick anyway, which also adds to the general health of the city. 

7) Shootings are nonexistent
 As the only people who are allowed to own guns are hunters, and police, public shootings are more or less non-existant here. The last time a person snapped and tried to go on a killing spree here was in my wife's hometown of Toyocho. The guy tried to go on a stabbing spree with a knife put another person hit with a flagpole and then two more guys tackled him to the ground. A few people were injured, no one was killed. This draws another stark contrast to the states. Even incidents of police actually using firearms are rare and few and far between.

8) Murder is also rare
So rare in fact, that when it happens, it's national headlines. 

9) Excellent public transportation
 One of the things that keeps the air in Tokyo so clean is that the regulations on cars are extremely strict. So strict in fact that most Tokyoites can't be bothered to have one, and as such Tokyo has evolved one of the most impressively comprehensive public transportation systems imaginable. Contrasting with other big cities that might have 5-15 train lines, Tokyo has over 50. Everywhere is within a 10 minute walk to a train station, and all of the public transportation is also perfectly clean, and punctual to the minute... Even all of the buses. (How they manage that is still beyond me). 

10) Food quality (of all sorts) is incredible, and food contamination/disease is rare
Having had hundreds of years to figure out the ins and outs of eating fish and otmeats raw, the Japanese have incredibly high standards of food quality and safety. While this does make things more expensive (and most likely contribute to the fact that portions are smaller), it also makes for amazing eating. Most visitors even say that the McDonald's here is excellent.

And just for the heck of it, here are three more... 

11)Awesome Tax Deductions
Japan is a great place to be a business owner, and tax deductions here kick ass. For as long as I have lived here, I have never met an American business owner here who complains about this place being hard to run a business in, and conversely virtually everyone has told me that tax deductions for businesses are way better and more diverse out here.

I've also found that to be the case as an entertainer. (As an example, virtually all of the clothes I buy are tax deductible because they constitute part of my image as a public figure). 

12) Virtually the entire country is middle class
Of course Japan has it's ultra-wealthy and it's poor people, but in general, the whole country is more or less middle-class, and the average household savings are right around $100,000 dollars. For those who have less, there is also strong social welfare structures; (single mother support, healthcare, high literacy in public schools). In effect, they made democracy work the way it's supposed to.

13) No terrorism, no Ebola
Ever since the atomic bomb was dropped, Japan has an had a peace-oriented constitution, and has also been active in building up and developing the third world. While to be sure, there are other reasons as well, at present, there has been no terrorism here. Also, given the extremely high regard for public safely, there has also been no cases of Ebola either. (Knock on wood!) 

So, in preparing this list, I'm certainly not out to prove that Japan is the best place on earth to live. It has it's issues as well. Like anywhere else, domestic abuse, bullying, suicides, and most other social ills are issues here as well. Also, while outward police brutality is rare, basic human rights abuse in prisons or detention (particularly of foreigners) is also a serious issue. 

The thing that is so interesting for myself as an American however, is the fact that so many of the issues that we deal with in the states simply don't exist here, and for the most part, "the system" runs the way it is supposed to; not in an idealized way or in some abstract way that politicians use as "proof" that they are correct; but in a very real way that everyone can see and feel around them... 

Even if people here love to worry themselves to death over small things, I would say compared to the average person in the states, the average person here seems to be doing just fine. While it would be easy to say, "Well, that's just Japan, and the States is different." I have to think that if they can make it work here, we can sure as he'll resolve these issues on the home front as well. That is, if we can get past all of the gross political polarization that is making the government far less ineffective and inefficient than it should be. In the meantime however, I've got no complaints about where I am at. 

Delta vs United vs. ANA: My experience flying from Tokyo-Michigan-Seattle-Tokyo

ANA seems to have recently upgraded their planes...
and they are awesome! 

Recently, I returned to Tokyo from teaching at the International Stunt School out in Seattle Washington. As I always go to Michigan when I return to the states from Tokyo, normally I always fly Delta (straight shot from Narita to Detroit) or United (Narita to Chicago, Chicago to Lansing). As an extra trip out to Seattle this time afforded me the opportunity to use all three airlines in one go however (Narita to Detroit- Delta, Lansing to Seattle- United, and Seattle to Narita, ANA), I thought now might be an interesting chance to compare the three side by side. 

As aforementioned, in order to avoid the hell that is transferring, (and the 100 million mile+ walks you need to get around Chicago O’hare), normally I always just take the straight shot from Tokyo/Narita to Detroit, and then use the Michigan Flyer bus service (which is comfortable, has free wifi, and is only $25) to get where I am going in Michigan. 

I’ve always been happy with Delta in recent years as the seats are spacious enough, I can usually sleep well, and the movie and entertainment options are pretty boss. The only complaint I’ve ever had is that once the airplane is in the air, it’s always friggin cold. (So much in fact that I usually have to bring warm clothes and socks to wear on the plane even in the summer).  

On ANA this was not an issue at all. The cabin temp didn’t change in the least from the moment I got on (pre-take-off)  till the moment I got off. In typical Japanese, detail-oriented fashion, the service was great, (they actually give you picture menus of the food choices) and the plane had a higher-tech feel to it. (I heard that ANA just upgraded to Boeing's newest planes, so that may have something to do with the technical enhancements). In any event, it was pretty damn nice. Instead of having shades that you pull down over the windows, they actually just "turn" dark blue. No damn idea how that works... and you can control the degree of the tint with a key menu under the window. (I’m assuming it is blue because blue lighting is supposed to have a calming effect, and put people in a better mood). The bathrooms were also more spacious than I have seen on other planes, and had cool blue lights as well. 

In terms of movie and entertainment selection though, Delta had them beat, but other than that, I’d say ANA took the cake in the other regards. Seat comfort was more or less the same. (Although ANA might have had a tiny bit more footspace)

As for United, it was fine, and I only had one issue. You have to charge your credit card to access the entertainment and movies. WTF?? Who charges for that?? Granted, it’s direct TV, and seemed pretty awesome, but it also seems kind of asinine to leave travelers without a credit card (or who don’t want to use it) just assed-out in terms of their entertainment. Particularly since it’s totally free everywhere else. It is only a few dollars, but travelers be warned! For the United flights I was only traveling domestically however, so international might be a different story. Still for myself, that was a major major turn-off. Nothing erks me more than when companies try to charge you for services that have always been (or should always be) free. No more United for Chuck, me thinks. If you come with your own movies however, and that doesn't bother you ,then otherwise, it wasn't bad at all. 

Helping the Tokyo Fire Department Prepare for the 2020 Olympics

An article about me assisting the Tokyo Fire Department in
their English training drills in the Mainichi Newspapers.

So a few days ago, I had a chance to continue my efforts at helping the Tokyo Fire Department prepare it's staff for the incoming flux of foreigners that will be arriving for the 2020 Olympics.

The program was held at the Rinkou Fire Station (where all of the City's Fire Boats are held and which services the whole of Tokyo Bay), and spent the day acting as an English-only patient for the Paramedics and firefighters. Basically, the idea was that instead of just having to continually practice on dummies or Japanese patients, this way, they could have a live English speaker that they have to actually interact with during their exercises. I started off "calling" 119, and from there, they questioned me on my medical history, country of origin, current condition, etc. Then they rushed to the scene and start their actual treatment on me. 

A small thank you gift the Rinkou Fire Station
gave me showing it's flagship vessel. 

All of the drills were taking place on an actual fireboat, and while I was there, while we were on lunch break, I got to drill them with questions on how they do their jobs and how everything in the station works. It was really interesting. I think this is especially good for Rinkou, as it is located square where Tokyo's Olympic village will be. After that there were TV and newspaper interviews (some I gave in English and others in Japanese) about their progress and efforts to set up bi-lingual paramedics teams before the Olmypics. 


The program ended with me giving an hour-long class to 40 Firefighters, Paramedics, and Rescue Technicians and then a speech about how best to progress their English skill on their own.

All in all, I was pretty impressed with how seriously they are taking this training (although I think the gov needs to put way more funding into it than they currently are), and happy to see that many of them are managing to retain what they learned from the previous classes I had with them. I hope the program continues on with the energy that it has had thus far and also that Tokyo generally continues it's efforts to make life more foreigner friendly here. A lot more escalators are being installed all over the city to give better handicap access, and from what I have heard, all of the subway/JR maps that are exclusively in Japanese will be replaced. (This is bad for me though, as that has always been good reading practice! ;) Anyway, if Tokyo keeps going like this, then I think all we need now is actual free WIFI around and things will be all around grand!

View from the top of the ship. It has a total of 6 water cannons like these that all together  can fire over 60,000 liters
of water per minute. The InfraRed Camera in the top right corner also costs about $300,000. This is also the first ship in the fleet that has the technology to automatically hold it's exact position regardless of what the rest of the ocean is doing around it. 

Shooting at the YouTube Space Tokyo in Roppongi

So, not too long ago, a friend of mine contacted to tell me that he had taken a tour of a new YouTube Studio that had just been build on the 29th floor of Roppongi Hills. He had said that he was able to get a press tour of it through the company he worked for, and that given the success of How to Defeat Dudes, I might be eligible to use it. Sure enough, I did a bit of homework and found out that such a studio did indeed exist... and it was only one of three in the world (with the other two being in London and LA).

 Basically, as YouTube continues to grow it is getting more and more of a share of people's leisure time viewing that traditionally only belonged to television, and cable. As such, they built these studios in key locations to allow their top partners access to better skills and equipment so that they could continue to create to local and international content that could compete in entertainment value with big budget or network TV.

Roppongi Hills: The Home of the YouTube Space Tokyo

With that, I looked into the requirements to film there, and while my channel is still relatively small for Youtube standards, (1/2 a million views), my regular monthly views were just enough for the minimum requirement of 15,000 per month (at that time I had 15,200) and my subscriber count was 6x higher. With that, I put in an application, and sure enough I was granted full access to the studio. I think I also lucked out in this regard because YouTube is still a lot smaller in Japan than it is in the states, so even though I was creating content largely for American / Western audiences, they were simply happy just to have me in to make use of the studio. As Youtube Japan & the studio continues to grow, who knows at a later date I may not have been able to get in to make use of it.

At any rate, I can now use the studio space and equipment to shoot there for free, I get an agent/mentor, and a manager, and I can take classes on production ranging from top level editing software like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition, to how to use green screens and effective lighting strategies. Furthermore I also get the chance to meet and work with other top earning Japanese partners as well.

The Green Screen Set

Audio Recording Booth

The last camera I got to shoot on- the Canon FX305.
(About a $6000 camera)

In a lot of ways getting access to a studio like this was something I had been yearning for for years. How to Defeat Dudes always has been the flagship of my channel, and where most of my views come from. While I have created a few other things on my own since then that have done really well, ultimately, in order to succeed I knew that I would need to 1) continue the show and 2) create more content that was of the same or better quality. Having access to this studio will allow me to do just that without it being the massive financial strain that producing the first 13 episodes on my own was. Now I can not only continue the show indefinitely on my own, but I can also start more high production value shows (as well as my first Japanese channel) all while learning from top-notch industry experts, and on top-notch equipment- experiences that will lend itself very well to following my dream of producing content that extends beyond YouTube and onto other forms of media.

The only challenge that working at the studio presents is the fact that it is more or less all in Japanese. (i.e. All of the forms I have to fill out, all the classes I am taking, etc)... And trust me, learning to use Premiere Pro is hard enough in English. Learning it in Japanese is exhausting at times to say the least.

At the same time though, I'm not taking this opportunity for granted in the least… I'm getting to learn all those things that successful film makers go to school for, and doing it for free. And it's pretty damn safe to say that Chuck is a happy camper at the moment.

How to EASE your way into Japan

The Tokyo skyline at dusk as seen from a friend's place in Toyosu. 

Japan can be an amazing country to live and work in. Food quality is exceptionally high (mention French food awards), petty crimes like theft and litter are virtually non-existant, virtually everywhere is sparklingly new and clean, the health care is solid, and (with a few exceptions) pretty much everyone you meet is polite in the extreme.

At the same time though, it's also quite expensive, mainly written in Japanese, and for people who want to live and work here, but have no job connections, hard to get your footing in. As a function of this, I've had a lot of people contacting me asking what exactly is the best way to get here and stay for a while, and for all of those folks, (and the ones to come) this blog entry is for you.

The following is the best way to come here systematically, get to doing what you want, and get established with a minimum of wasted time or struggle. It is based both all the things I've done right (and more importantly done wrong) and also off of the experiences of all of the friends I've had that have stayed here for a while. Hope you find it helpful.

STEP 1: Start saving before you go

The fact of the matter is, as great as it is, Japan is expensive. And pay checks usually only come once a month. As such, even if you find a job right off the bat, if you arrive at the middle or end of the month, you may still have to wait two months before you receive a full paycheck. As such, having at least $1500 - $3000 to be able to ride on for your first month or two can make things exceedingly easier.

STEP 2: Educate Yourself on the Culture

If you have never lived in a foreign country before, even if it is save, clean and logistically easy to figure out, if you don't take the time to learn and understand the culture there, you can still run into all kinds of trouble. In Japan, most people are quite understanding that foreigners may not know anything about their culture (most are even surprised if you can use chopsticks) but even so, being completely culturally ignorant of how they think and see things can put them off, and cause them to ever so quietly (and politely) distance themselves from you. Conversely, if you are one of the people who is trying to learn their language and understand their culture, usually, they will love you to death...despite other shortcomings.

As such, before you come, it is a good idea to take the time to pick up a book or two on the basics of the language, and on understanding the culture. Even if you only have time to read up on one of the two topics, you will find it increases your friend-making-ability exponentially, and when the times get hard, your local Japanese friends are often the greatest resource you have.

STEP 3: Apply to English Teaching companies that recruit abroad

For those with an established job connection, or those who are experts in your field and as such are being flown in, you can skip over this part. Japanese hospitality is amazing, and you can expect to be treated very well.

For the rest of us however, who have no such connections, (or may not even have any real world job experience yet) by far the easiest way to come here is as an English teacher. While the JET program may be hard to get into, most companies hiring English teachers for Japan only require a college degree...and not even a teaching related one at that. Companies such as Aeon or Geos, or any of the myriad of others that recruit for junior high school and high schools (such as Interact) will fly you in, set you up with a place to say, get you to work as soon as you arrive, help you get a phone and generally let you choose where you want to be. They also have a ton of English speaking staff who are comfortable with foreigners and experienced in dealing with the kinds of problems they have. More than anything however, I feel that this is important because it gives you the opportunity to really explore working and living here without having to burn through all your savings to do it. In fact, even if you aren't satisfied with life here, if you play your cards right save, and finish out your contract, you can leave with quite a lot more money than you came with.
Furthermore, once you find that thing you really want to do, you can network in the field, learn about the industry, and start figuring out how to work your way into it while still earning and saving money....and while you have a visa. The downside? Most of these companies want at least a one year commitment. Personally, I came over through Aeon, and had a helluva great time working there. In fact, the only reason I didn't renew my contract for another year was because I found other things I wanted to do. Within my training group (the people who came over at the same time as me), about 50% of us renewed our contracts to stay on with the company longer.

STEP 4: Join a language school

The next thing you can do to help smooth over your journey into a Japan is joining a Japanese language school. While this may sound expensive, in actuality, it doesn't have to be. Every ward of Tokyo (there are twenty-three in total) offers it's residents free Japanese classes that run a few times a week. As it is only taught by volunteers, the quality of the teaching may not be something to stop the presses over, but hey it's free. Especially in the early stages, these are more than enough to get you started. From there, depending on what you want you do with yourself or which job field you wanna go for, you can decide whether or not you want to join a formal Japanese language school. Although depending on what you want to do, joining a school and studying full or part-time may not be really necessary, I've yet to meet a single person who's ever regretted it. The better your Japanese, the better your chances are of getting any job, as well as understanding the culture, the people and what's going on in general. Among the people who were the most frustrated, and angry (and ignorant of why things work the way they do here) it was always the people who didn't speak the language well.

While following these four steps, may not guarantee you a perfect life in Japan, I can guarantee that they will substantially improve the quality of it...and better your chances of doing what you really want to do there. If you are unsure as to whether or not Japan is really for you, I still think that the English conversation school route is the best way to go to find out...simply because you can make and save money in the process. If the one-year commitment seems too long for you, then you there are of course other ways. Westgate for example recruits for 3-4 month contracts, but requires a bit of teaching experience. Programs like Volunteers for Peace can also be a great way to come here for 2 weeks to a month, but they will require you to pay for your own flight over and of some of your expenses.
If you do decide to come however, I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that Japan is a country where things are generally done carefully, meticulously, ...and slowly. As such, aside from vacationing here, if you really want to enjoy life here without teaching English, it might take a minute to make that happen. Such is the same with going anywhere (particularly big cities) though, I guess. Great opportunities usually take time to find. As long as you keep that in mind however, you can not just enjoy reaching your goal, but the process of getting there as well.