まぁね

ニール // 東京 // Japan

[niryopa]

I eat cow tongue every week and it didn't occur to me that that was a bit strange to those not living here until my friend visiting asked me what we were eating, I told him cow tongue, and he spat it out onto the table.

[niryopa]

Thank you KFC for these potato chips.

[niryopa]

One of the things I'm struggling with living in Japan is that I am aware I am being molded by the culture and that my identity will eventually change. I think this will become especially apparent as I move into a Japanese company. No longer will my foreignness be a job qualification or something I have to teach. It won't even be relevant to my position, in fact, and all expectancies placed on Japanese nationals in the company will also be expected of me. Since moving here about two years ago, I can count the number of times I've hung out with other foreigners on two hands. Most everyone that I interact with outside of work is Japanese. At most points, those people forget I'm foreign until there is something that goes over my head culturally. Obviously, I am choosing to be here in Japan and this is not a post that's lamenting Japan for putting expected social pressures on me as I integrate into the society. It's just something that is becoming more apparent to me the more I think about it and I can't decide if it's scary or interesting to me.

[niryopa]

奥多摩と鍾乳洞 2014.9.27〜28

Went camping on the outskirts of Tokyo this weekend. The scenery was beautiful, and the company even better. 

It's still strange when I realize I'm living the life I always envisioned.

[niryopa]

@綾瀬駅 2014.8.21 北へ。

[niryopa]

鎌倉でのカレーパーティ&花火大会 2014.08.16〜08.17 Spent the weekend relaxing at the sea in Kamakura at my friend's beach house. Had curry while we watched a horror TV special and shot off fireworks on the beach at night.

[niryopa]

Today is the first time in about four days that I've had a break to myself. I've been invited out tonight but I decided against it because I have been going out a bit too much recently and to be honest, I just want a nice day in. 

I honestly forgot tumblr existed until I opened up my computer though.

[niryopa]

I feel lucky I've got a three week break, but at the same time, I wish I was working. Having nothing to do all day lets the mind race and wander and stray towards thoughts that are better left unthunk.

[niryopa]

芝プール 2014.8.3 New group of friends.

[niryopa]

Texts from my Dad... "Bro-hugs"????

[niryopa]

公園から見えるSKYTREE 2014.7.29 東京、大好き。

[niryopa]

I LIVE IN TOKYO 2014.7.28

Taken last night. Tokyo Skytree is just a five minute walk from my new apartment.

[niryopa]

新青森 ➡︎ 上野 2014.7.28 Today's the day. This is the first time I've gone to Tokyo without having a return ticket in my hand. So long, Aomori! I'm ready to start this new chapter.

[niryopa]

Achieving Goals 2014.7.26

After two months of hard work and dedication, I finally retook my body composition at the gym today. My main goal was to drop my body fat percentage from 12.5 to at least 10. I had anticipated only getting to an 11, but to my surprise, I ended up getting 8.7! I lost a lot of it mostly in my stomach - going from 7.1 kg of fat to 4.1 kg. I lost some fat in my arms as well.

Muscle wise, I lost muscle in my legs as well as in my abdomen, but that was anticipated as that's the price of cutting. 

Overall, my health index number (essentially a gauge out of 100 on how healthy your body is physically) went up from an 88 to a 94!! 

I apologize that I post a bit about fitness, but behind the Japanese language, fitness is my biggest passion. Setting goals and not only reaching them, but exceeding them, is such a great feeling.

To anyone else out there who is working towards their goals, 頑張ってね！

[niryopa]

I won't be going home to the US to visit for another year and a half (provided that something unexpected does not come up), which means I'll have been gone two and a half years when I arrive.

I wonder how my parents will greet me at the airport, and I wonder what special things they'll try to do to make me feel at home. No doubt my mom will ask me in advanced what I want my first meal to be and what groceries I want her to buy, but I know my dad will try to surprise me with some off-the-wall present. I hope that my Grandma is still doing as well as she can be at that point and that Maggie and Misty both remember me. Maggie was my best friend and it'd probably kill me if she didn't recognize who I was. Misty was never particularly fond of me, but I still love her anyways.

It's strange to think that this time last year, I was looking forward to a year or two in Aomori, followed by a move to New York or California. Now a year later, I'm looking forward to an indefinite amount of time living in Tokyo while New York and California have completely fallen off of my radar.

[niryopa]

Ever since last week, I've been waking up at 3:30 every evening. Why this time? I have no idea. Doesn't matter if I go to bed at 10, 12, or 1... I wake up at 3:30 and then play on my phone a bit before heading back to sleep. To be honest, I'm probably just excited about moving that I can't sleep through a whole night without having some sort of dream about it that wakes me up.

[niryopa]

これでは肉マニア 2014.7.16

I am concerned that the amount of chicken breast I consume every week verges on the extreme... But anything for the gains, as they'd say.

毎週、こんな大量のムネ肉を食べるのはダメかなぁ？