The "GREG IN JAPAN" Thread...

[kndy]

I am creating the "GREG" thread which relates to Greg's YouTube posting and questions that relate to him in Japan. Instead of me crossposting or commenting about his YouTube or Flickr...it makes it all easier just to keep everything in one thread.

Greg's homepage: http://stevethefish.net/
Greg's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/stevethefishdotnet
Greg's Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevethefishdotnet/

[kndy]

Greg....you just caught my attention with your collection in the background. How about a tour of your collection right there on the wall.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YbISc47 ... ure=relmfu


Btw....that's a cool find!

[greg]

Oh yay, I feel so famous-y or something. As for my current nerd cave, I have yet to upload a video because it's still in a temporary status. I have shelves for most stuff, but a big box is still sitting along one wall with a bunch of crap stacked on top because I haven't a place to put a lot of it yet. Gaming stuff that I need to get a drawer for to put in the closet for storage. Eventually, I will get a glass display shelf for anime figures and models. The posters all came from my place in America, and I haven't added to those at all. I wish I had bought that Galaxy Express 999 when I was in Nakano with Dave and his wife in July, though.

My nerd cave from the apartment where I lived in Arizona before moving back to Japan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg-cQAr8yb0
I still have most of these figures and such, but I sold a bunch to Bookmans, a local used books and media shop chain in Arizona. I think they paid more for some of the figures than what I paid for them in Japan, actually.

My tribute to 1982 SF movies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_d9IXtkGDY

As for the pic of that car, it is advertising an anime shop in Kofu City in Yamanashi-ken. I drive through southern Kofu on the way to the Chuuou Expressway, which we take to visit the family in Nagano-ken. Maybe I might stop by that store someday to see what it's like. In fact, I took that picture while driving through Fujinomiya, on the way to Kofu last weekend to go visit the in-laws.

I'm still slowly "moving in" to our apartment, so it's still a bit messy. I still haven't even bought a TV yet. Last month I bought a clothing pole and installed into our closet, because traditional closets don't have those. Once my place is cleaned up, I'll make another nerd cave tour video.

You can see more of that wall in the Jukai "Suicide Forest" video I made here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTdoXAldmYQ
I usually don't video myself, but I wanted to preface the video with my thoughts on my experience since nearly every video of that forest focuses on the gloom and death surrounding the place, and not much on the profound beauty of the forest.

[Heero]

Just want to note, there's nothing wrong with it and I'm sure it's just me, but I find it very amusing that "Greg in Japan" has websites and usernames of "SteveTheFish". (as a Greg who is not in Japan, that just stood out to me)

[greg]

Just want to note, there's nothing wrong with it and I'm sure it's just me, but I find it very amusing that "Greg in Japan" has websites and usernames of "SteveTheFish". (as a Greg who is not in Japan, that just stood out to me)

I've had a homepage since January 1995. I had bounced it around from a few ISPs before I got sick of that and decided to get my own domain name and webhosting. I chose to name it after my dead Siamese betta fish, Steve. I'd written haiku about his death, and it was one of the first things I had put on the homepage. I decided to name the site after him. It's funny, because everyone on YouTube thinks my name is Steve. It sure beats using my real full name, which stupid YouTube seems to be encouraging everyone to do. It's like they're trying to be more like Facepalm. I refused MyCrap and I refuse Facepalm. I am still a firm believer in coding HTML for my own homepage by myself.

[kndy]

Btw...looking forward to more videos at shops and at arcades!!! Really enjoying your videos!

[Daniel]

Oh, Greg, it looks like you have fans.

[greg]

I guess this proves that you don't have to be an interesting person to have a successful YouTube channel. I just point my camera at stuff I think is interesting and people interested in those things somehow find the videos. I seem to be getting about at least one new subscriber a day, on average. The downside is having to monitor comments for trolls and morons.

[kndy]

Hi Greg,

In your part of Japan, how is the Christmas illumination?

[greg]

Hi Greg,

In your part of Japan, how is the Christmas illumination?

I don't know, actually. I've only been back in Japan since January. When I lived in Kansai, the big attraction was the Kobe Luminarie (in Kobe, obviously). It's supposed to be very beautiful, but with the tons of people shoulder to shoulder, I've heard that it is barely enjoyable because it is too crowded. I did not bother going in the two years I lived in Himeji. In Shizuoka, who knows? However, I have noticed that individual households are starting to put Christmas lights up in their yard. This was completely unseen 10 years ago, and only we foreigners had put lights in our apartment windows. But as with Halloween, Japanese are slowly starting to want to enjoy Western holidays like Christmas more. It would be nice if Christmas meant more than a stupid cake on Christmas Eve. As with Halloween, I have been asked to introduce Christmas to my elementary school students. I intend to talk more about family time and the historical and religious significance of the birth of Christ. (I won't get too bogged into detail on how Christmas is actually originally a Pagan festival that was hijacked by the Catholic church long ago... there's no way they'd understand that, nor could I keep their interest!)

I asked my dad to send us a package of outdoor lights, but I don't know if he's sent them yet. I need to follow up with him on that.