Josh in Japan

forums are here for josh in japan.

http://www.joshinjapan.com/forums

let’s see if this is any easier than the comments……

so, a couple weeks ago, i saw a posting somewhere on a board from steve friess who is a freelance journalist who was writing a piece for wired news.

he was looking for help on what podcasters thought about finding paid sponsorship, and what we thought about the lack of current resources to do so. i gave him my honest opinions, and as any journalist, he took one line of mine, wrote it to make it sound more dramatic, and ran with it.

at least he linked me in the article.

you can read the article HERE.

and i’m sorry, but i do not beg for money. he just assumed that since i have a paypal button on the blog……

Well folks, here it is, the show you’ve all been asking for…… AKIHABARA! All it is is a bunch of broken pieces of recording from my iriver and the same set of crappy mics from episode #12.

For those of you just joining us, I took a weekend, and went up to Tokyo to take a soundseeing tour for the show. Day #1 ended up with me visiting the Apple Store in Ginza, then a quick trip home just to be followed by a night’s stay at the Green Plaza Capsule Hotel in Shinjuku.

Day #2 entails me going from the hotel to the district of Akihabara, the electronics capital of Japan. I took my iriver and the crapiest mics I could find, and pretty much recorded anything I thought was interesting. I hope you enjoy it! Now everyone can quit asking for a show on Akihabara!

The “Japanese Phrases of the Week” are:

あつささむさもひがんまで = atsusa samusa mo higan made = neither the heat of summer, or the cold of winter last beyond higan (listen to the show to understand what higan is) ….. thanks to Ken for this one!

さんむい = sanmui = a cold environment

つめたい = tsumetai = a cold or frozen item

The computer I was referring to from the email James sent me is right here.

Thanks for bearing with me as I figure out how to make the show sound the best. For you tech types, I encoded this one at 40kbps with a sampling rate of 24k in mono. I found that the reason the files were so big was because my tag editor was adding something onto the files in excess of 80mb. I now have to tear it apart and find out what it was. I really do not like the sound quality at 40 so maybe when I get some time I will switch it over to VBR or a straight 64kbps…. who knows when that will be though!

ok, so until next time……

mata-ne!

folks, i apologize for putting you all through this. at my first available opportunity, i will be moving my files to another company. my podcasts are once again inaccessable to you.

WWW.LIBSYN.COM has lost my business!

i think one of my fellow podcasters should be able to help me with my bandwidth, but if anyone has a different solution, i again am all ears…..

and if you need to download any shows, please go to www.joshinjapan.com/podcasts and directly download the show that you would like to hear.

I feel terrible about this folks! I know i’m loosing some of you because of this so i’m sorry for that! Take care!

josh

so, it finally arrived! thanks to all those who helped with the donations to make it arrive at my doorstep (well, PO box, but you get the drift)! Because I couldn’t just let it sit till the weekend, I had to break it open and see how well it worked. I recorded a new promo which can be found in this thread

here.

if i just post the file, it’ll end up as a podcast, and that’s not necessary. also, i go back to work tomorrow after being gone for almost 30 days so please wish me luck!

i apologize again to all of you who got stuck with the bad servers yesterday and partially today. and as for that wonderful company…. fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice……

folks, i must apologize for my file hosting company! i switched to a new service about a month ago. they host all of my .mp3 files so to save me the bandwidth on my blog server (which is growing as well).

apparently my file host http://www.libsyn.com experienced some errors and had some server outtages about 24 hours ago. the were unable to let anyone know of the problem due to their mail server being down as well.

they are doing everything they can to regain connectivity. I apologize for the inconvenience!

In the meantime, if you’d like, you can download episode #12 directly from my servers on joshinjapan.com

the file for podcast 12 is

http://www.joshinjapan.com/podcasts and then just click on episode #12.

i apologize angain for this, and will soon be finding a new host for my files if this error does not resolve itself quickly, or if someone can bring me a cheap solution for unlimited bandwidth hosting!

sorry,

josh

In episode #12, I discuss my recent trip to Tokyo. I ended up spending two days checking out the Apple Store in Ginza, a Capsule Hotel in Shinjuku where I spent the night, and the infamous district of Akihabara.

For this week, I play the clips I recorded while on my way to the Apple Store, at the Apple Store, and my misadventures in trying to find the Capsule Hotel. I also whisper a report to you guys from inside my capsule. What a wild ride it was.

Next week, I will be playing the clips from my day in Akihabara. Both episodes are filled with all kinds of useless knowledge, so sit back and enjoy!

The “Japanese Phrases of the Week” are:

いくらですか = ikura desuka? = how much is it? (in relating to price)

おなかすいた = onakasuita = i am hungry

Also, don’t forget to check out my new “Sights of Japan” gallery. It’s located permanently in the header of my blog. You also see what’s going to come next once I get some sleep!

Here’s a pic of what Japanese Yen used to look like about 1 year ago. The 500 piece pictured is actually about 5 years old (the new one is gold and isn’t the exact weight of a Mexican Peso), and the design on the bills changed early this year……

And here’s a link to the Japanese MAGLEV train that I was discussing on the show……

So, enjoy, and until next time,

mata-ne!

ok everyone, today is the day. pictures of my last 2 day trip to tokyo are up. new pictures will be posted as well whenever i remember to take a picture of something interesting!

look up above this post at “sights of japan”………

hope ya like ‘em!

:::EDIT::: also just added is a list of show topics….. right above this post in the header…… i decided to no longer keep this secret :p

well, no matter how much crap i talk about adam curry, he always continues to surprise me.

on podfinder, episode #7, i am featured talking about the disaster notification system on all of the cell phone carriers over here……

check it out if you get a chance…..

and thanks to Jason for bringing this to my attention!

john was nice enough to find this link to a website about washlets for everyone.

i got one in my house! what about you? :p

In episode #11, I discuss what happened today with the elections here in Japan for the Lower House of the Diet. Find out if Prime Minister Junichiro Koizume was removed from his position as Prime Minister, and find out why the hell they even had elections with only a one month warning…….

Oh, and today is still Sunday in my book, and yes elections did take place on a Sunday. Why you may ask…… greater turnout at the polls, that’s why! common sense, it’s so cool!

Also, the “Japanese Phrases of the Week” are as follow:

いただきます = itadakimasu = let’s eat / we are going to now eat (listen to the show for proper use)
ごちそうさまです = gochisousamadesu = this was a feast / that was good food (listen to the show for proper use)
ごちそうさまでした = gochisousamadeshita = past tense of above

Also as promised, Kris sent me this link to Japander. It’s a website that showcases idiot celebrities that come over here for cold hard advertising cash…. pretty cool! I had never known this existed. Thanks Kris!

Well, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email at josh@joshinjapan.com, or leave me a comment on the blog.

Until next time,

mata-ne!

as requested, here is a small pic of my wife’s japanese keyboard. as i discussed, the japanese language sometimes seems a little difficult on a qwerty keyboard, but is somewhat easier on a cell phone only because of the close layout of the phonetics on the phone key pad….

In episode #10, we discuss what television is like here in Japan.

Sorry for not writing back in response to many of your emails! This has been a very hectic week! We discuss many things about TV, so if you’re a couch potato, but want to go to Japan, this is your episode!

The following are the “Japanese Phrases of the Week”:

すみません　たすけて　ください
Sumimasen, tasukete kudasai = Excuse me, please help!

じぶん　で　はらうよ
Jibun de harauyo = Please let me pay for this. / I want to pay.

Don’t forget to do your part for those caught up in hurricane katrina.

And, if you get a chance, please take a second, and vote for the Josh In Japan podcast at podcastalley.com using the “PCA | vote now” button to the right.

As always, email me Josh@JoshInJapan.com with any comments, suggestions or questions.

Until next time, mata-ne!

so, my bandwidth limit was reached because I keep all of my old files on this host, while i keep all of my newer files on libsyn. my website was blocked in the meantime until i sent my host a request to unlock everything. sorry for any inconvenience!

josh