bring on the kitty-chans: or how i'm finally living up to the title of this blog by becoming unusually obsessed with keitai charms featuring kittychan

It's true. I have a problem. And its only getting worse. For 9 long months i looked down upon all adornments (and adorners) of cell phones. Which means i disapproved of nearly 99.99% of Japanese people as practically everyone i see has accessories dangling from their phones - old men and teenaged girls alike. I, on the other hand, saw my cell phone as a convenient appliance, and at times a life-saver, but as something that should be kept plain, simple, and small enough to fit in my pocket. My cell phone did what i needed it to do and i appreciated that. But i wouldn't really say we had a loving relationship. Then one day, during golden week, i felt my heart leap at the sight of a Nara cell phone charm... Hello Kitty sitting on the lap of the famous daibutsu (buddha) statue. And i just had to give in.

For about a month i lived quite satisfied with my kitty and the subtle but classy touch it gave my pink phone with its coordinating pink/silver strap and shiny, lavender (and loud) bell. But then i broke down again. While convincing some friendly visiting Oles that keitai straps were a) the RAGE in Japan and b) the most convenient, affordable, and unique yet usable gift to bring home i discovered i needed a new one. In honor of our visit to Kobe (though we never actually went to the weather cock house), and the fact that i love the phrase 'weather cock' i got Weather Cock Kitty. For a few weeks, Daibutsu Kitty and Weather Cock Kitty lived in harmony (though the noises from two bells were beginning to get to me and probably everyone in my staff room at school). And then it happened again.

I had long since been a fan of Hikonyan, created, in the great japanese tradition of creating a character for every possible situation, advertising need or holiday, in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Hikone castle. I enjoyed Hikonyan's simultaneous resemblance to vikings and the pillsbury dough boy. SO much so that i began fantasizing about the PERFECT keitai charm - Hello Kitty in Hikonyan's hat. And lo-and-behold, such a charm exists! So a week ago i picked up my very own Hikonyan Kitty (thankfully no bell to speak of, only a little thing that says Hikone) and just for good measure, a Biwako Kitty (Kitt-chan dressed in a pink catfish suit laying on a puddle of water) key chain clip, so again, no bell.




And you think that would be about enough. But no. Once Shannon discovered my growing (and, yes, mildly unhealthy) obsession, she jumped on the bandwagon. Last Sunday, while shopping in Kyoto, she picked us up matching Tanuki Kitties (Kitty-chan in the suit of a Japanese racoon - sadly without the famously oversized testicles). So, after 9 months of a life sans accessory or adornment, my cellphone has become an entity onto itself - a pink striped phone carrying 5 Hello Kitty charms with 3 bells and many different colors.

But now i just dont know what to do. What if i can't stop myself? There are just too many more adorable charms out there for the buying! What will i do when i come back to America, a country where, despite my best efforts to spread the trend among friends and family, my behavior and over-excessive over-accessorizing will not be acceptable? I am doomed. Me, my cell phone and all my kitty-chans are doomed.

my famiry

After school the other day on of my special needs students drew a picture (copied from photographs on my desk) of my family members, and asked for their names. As i had expected, my dad's name (Mark) was written ma-ku in katakana and Amy was written aimi to get the hard A sound. but i did not expect that my mom's name (Marti) would be written ma-chin (sounds more like marching than marti if you ask me) or that Andy would be katakanized anri-. Too funny.

I have one picture on my desk of the whole family about 4 years ago, and another senior photo of Andy from last summer. This student was convinced that i had two brothers, and she kept referring to the 'kakoi' or cute brother and the 'other' one. Andy at 15 with his short spikey hair was the hotty in her mind, which is fine with me since she's probably 13 and i always did support his short-hair-look. I don't think she ever really understood that i only had one brother though, even after i said family and the only word i could think of to mean whole (all) and pointed back and forth telling her they were both "Anrin". Oh well, i liked it.

"that's what she said" - a weekend with the boys

Finally time to post:
Last weekend felt like an Ole reunion - Pants, Kevin, Carlson, Danny and I hit up Osaka, Kobe and Nara for a fabulous weekend. I'd forgotten how good it feels to see old friends and how my stomach hurts from laughing so hard and how much we Oles LOVE the karaoke. it was really too good.

The boys: Danny, Carlson and Kevin

Pants and me, probably singing a song we had forgotten we already sand. and kevin.

Friday we met up in Osaka and (after a long and not-so-happy search for our hostel) went out for dinner and some highlights of japan - purikura and karaoke. After last weekend's escapades i knew to head straight to 'Joy Sounds' for the free time Nomihodai special from 11 to 5:30. and let me just say, it did not disappoint.
around 4am, we started to drag.

Saturday we finally managed to drag our bums out of bed and head to Kobe to wander around China town and hit up Harborland (complete with Pants' favorite mechanical animals and a beer on the pier). Then we made it back to Osaka for dinner and by complete chance discovered the best restaurant ever - a little yakiniku place with a good all-you-can-eat deal, cheap beer, a guy who spoke the most excellent english ever, and even cute mugs (which Pants didn't have to steal but the nice man gave to us). Too perfect. We finished up the night with a conbini run and a round of Phase 10, which somehow none of the boys knew how to play. How is that even possible?


the gang with a panda statue. Pants is obsessed.

Carlson and Kevin.

Me, Danny and a pig with a tray of niku-man

Carlson and Kevin try their hands at Taiko

The boys ride the mechanical animals. Pants, of course, rode the panda

So cute it hurts. really.

back in Osaka, by the Hello Kitty Store. Cheez-u

Then Sunday we hit up Nara on a whim, at least partially so Pants could legitimately buy a pen with Hello Kitty sitting on the lap of a giant Daibutsu (buddha), but fun nonetheless. Especially when Carlson made it through the hole that is supposed to be the size of the buddha's nostril, and the entire crowd cheered. We managed to drag ourselves around for a few hours before grabbing okonomiyaki lunch and heading our separate ways.

the Nara Buddha - the largest indoor brass Buddha in the world.

Carlson makes it through the nostril-sized hole, with a little help

In the end i will remember the weekend something like this - lots of laughs, the impossibility of remembering what songs we sang at karaoke, more laughing, being extremely tired, drinking beer, laughing some more, seeing little kids "so cute it hurts" and feeling comfortably and happy the whole time.