(above photo from our motorbike trip in Newfoundland by Josh)

I’ve recently started a new job and have a new home for the next ten months. Seems to me a good time to reevaluate what’s important to me, set priorities and really focus on the next big goal: buying my freedom.

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An article I wrote about six months ago was published in the June issue of Japanzine (an in-print magazine for expats in Japan). And it’s the cover story, so that’s a first.

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I was inspired by my friend Chris’ Best of 2007 lists on September Police and despite it being almost May 2008, I thought I’d make my own. I’ll take any pretense to make a list, really.

Top 3 Achievements of 2007

1. Learning how to ride a motorcycle from scratch in Vietnamese traffic.

2. Motorcycling for six months from Vietnam to Thailand and back without killing me or my girlfriend.

3. Organizing a fundraising golf tournament without ever having played a round of golf.

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The other night I got wasted drunk with a few close friends and had a great time. Even better was waking up in the morning, and realizing that I had received a drunken present of — a book of Lists.

Have I mentioned that I enjoy making lists? And particularly crossing things off lists?

Thank you Dylan.

Best. Gift. Ever.

It reminded me that about 3 years ago when I was living in Japan I made a List of Things I Want to Do Before I Die (I later changed the list to Before I’m 35 because it seemed to be a better time line).

Below is a copy of what was in the word file.

I actually got to cross off a few, which is fun.

100 Things I Will Do Before I turn 35

Experiences/Adventure

• Bungee Jumping
• Sky Diving
• Scuba Diving
• Motorcycle Canada to South America
• Motorcycle India
• Hitchhike/Boat-hop around the world
• Race in the Iditarod (Alaskan Dogsled race – 1150mile)
• Spend a Week at Burning Man Festival (Black Rock City, Nevada, August – Labor Day Weekend)
• Join a band and tour on a hit single in a foreign country
• Get a traditional tattoo in Central Borneo and Central Africa
• Hitchhike to the North American Hitchhikers gathering
• Magic Mushrooms (someone recommended that I include paints and crafts, or outside)
• Opium tea (I actually didn’t think this one would happen; and no, never again)
• Join the Mile High Club
• Walk across Nova Scotia, both coasts
• Get invited to one of Hugh Hefner’s Famous Parties

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Christmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan is for lovers. In Canada, people enjoy special time with their families, going to church and such. Here in Osaka, the streets are lined with couples going to movies, shopping for couture, and lined up to eat fried chicken. Yeah, apparently KFC has done such a good job at marketing in Japan that most Japanese people think it’s what North Americans do. Another point for capitalism (although it’s not like it’s difficult, here in Japan).

This holiday season, I decided to go in search of the famed Santa-themed Love Hotel, Hotel Chapel Christmas. Again I enlisted the help of a research partner to join me. First, we did one of my top 10 favorite things to do in Japan: Kaiten Sushi bar hopping (the restaurants where you pick your sushi from a revolving conveyor belt; each plate costs about a dollar). This is basically going a sushi place, eating two or three plates of their best/freshest sushi, then picking up and doing the same at the next three or four sushi restaurants.

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Adventures in Love Hotel Land

In keeping up with the accountability list I posted the other day, I decided to go in search of the “Gang Snowman” Love Hotel. This hotel is kind of underground-famous in Osaka for its Cadillac-converted spa on the roof (the headlights flash and horn honks when the car shakes…) and it’s extreme S&M themed rooms.

First step was to enlist a research assistant (who shall remain anonymous…) and then head to the love hotel district: Tanimachi 9-cho-me.

My research assistant and I came across a few strangely named love hotels, but no “Gang Snowman”…

We found this one for kinky Vegans:

And this one that was a little slightly more appropriately named.

We went and checked out the pictures of the rooms, but there wasn’t anything too exciting, so we kept on.

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Lists

I like lists, and I like being able to cross things off lists. I recently came across a list on my computer that I made last year in Vietnam entitled “100 things to do before I turn 35″, and although I had almost forgotten what was on the list, I got to cross off a few items (get a lebret piercing; eat that disgusting duck embryo thing; eat the beating heart of a snake in Vietnam).

This time, to hold myself accountable to doing things that I say I’m going to do (this is really important for me — my pet peeve is when people talk about doing awesome things and never do them), I decided to share my list of experiences/foods/crazy things I want to try while here in Japan — and to give myself a specific timeline so that I can’t cop out and say “but I’m still in Japan, so I’ve got time…”

Oh, and I’m very open to suggestions if anyone has them (comment below please!)

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