[By billywest | 16 Jun 2009 | 10 Comments]
Waiting on a Friend in Shinjuku

I’m not waitin’ on a lady
I’m just waitin’ on a friend

-Rolling Stones

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[By billywest | 16 Jun 2009 | 10 Comments]
Waiting on a Friend in Shinjuku

I’m not waitin’ on a lady
I’m just waitin’ on a friend

-Rolling Stones

7:10 Blogs, Headline »

[By billywest | 4 Jun 2009 | 12 Comments]
Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here

Man looks into the abyss…

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[By billywest | 18 May 2009 | 9 Comments]
Swine Flu Scares Already Jittery Japanese

This morning I woke to a sore throat and a stabbing headache. After flipping on the TV and making some coffee, I sat down and relaxed while watching the news. Well, it seems that in a period of twenty four hours the number of reported swine flu cases in Osaka and Kobe has increased nearly tenfold. I took all this in while considering my own physical condition. Bullshit, I thought; No Swine Flu for me, baby. And, you know what? After an hour of chilling with my morning coffee, I …

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[By billywest | 10 May 2009 | 23 Comments]
Japanese Girls and the Yaeba Factor

Throughout my time in Japan, like many Westerners, I’ve been amused and sometimes horrified by seemingly flawless Japanese beauties suddenly smiling and revealing a snaggletoothed grin. Now, this post isn’t meant to be a feature on what yaeba are - you can see for yourself at Yaeba Superstar.com - but to find out how people feel about the Japanese tendency to find many girls with protruding canines cute. Or, more to the point, can Westerners find Japanese girls with yaeba attractive?
As for me, a single crooked or protruding canine tooth …

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[By billywest | 22 Apr 2009 | 20 Comments]
Tokyo After Dark: Blocked in Kabuki-cho

It’s the first warm evening of Spring this year. My buddy and I are having drinks in Kabuki-cho at a bar that has an outdoor table. It’s about time for last train and hordes of individuals start coming out of the heart of the Cho to make their way back to Shinjuku Station and then home. Since we live in the area, my friend and I don’t concern ourselves with missing any trains and just continue to enjoy our drinks while bantering with various passers-by.
After the last-train rush dies down, …