Hans, Waka and Rob discuss the Discovery Channel's Shark vs Hippo faceoff, Hans's camera goes up in smoke and Alex wakes up to join the conference call. He promptly plays a Beatles song--sort of--then he and Hans reminisce about an Adam Sandler Thanksgiving. Alex critiques Waka's conversational English development, noting how she has incorporated the phrase "to give one shit" into her repetoire. Hans then promotes the champagne of beers, the lady in the moon, Miller High Life. Rob briefly explains happoshu and Chu-Hi. And then our connection breaks up--sorry! I left the tail end on, as annoying as parts of it are, because there might be some redeeming qualities there, and it might inspire someone with some remixing ideas! Or not. Collage by Rob. Posted by Rob.

What started out as a solo podcast ended up with three people: Hans, Waka and myself. This evening (Wednesday here) I'll be DJ'ing in Roppongi, Tokyo, at a place called Gromp. It'll be my first time there. Doors open at 7 p.m., and I'll be starting right away, even though things won't really kick off much later till later. So if you need a place to unwind after work, come on out! Posted by Rob.

"Here is another mp3 from the Hemp Bark workout. This one is bigger and more stand alone than Goodbye Ghost Hat. This one is la Stish. Let's see if the satellites will allow it to fly to your ears. Test test test. Happy Thanksgiving, by the way. Thanks, Jerry." From Hemp Bark with John & Maki 17.11.06. More info coming soon. Posted by Rob.

Click here to get your own player.

Patrick was in town, explained fig crumbs and recited Ivor Cutler. Listen to his latest poetry podcast Carnivale or read 3 years' worth of his poems at ukauthors.com. I'll try to post a few of the other links we talked about later. Food art photo by Makiko. Posted by Rob.

Filmed and edited by Rob and Makiko.

Posted by Rob.

Subscribe to our food channel, Prapatang Kitchen, on iTunes

I find it uplifting when entertainers challenge us to ponder the profound... Posted by Rob.

Learn to talk like Alex's grandma (Queen Elizabeth)! Alex thinks that, just because he's a native speaker, and because he can teach Japanese, that he can teach English too. Whatever! If I wanted to talk like Posh Spice, I'd marry David Beckham! Posted by Rob.

It's been a while since I posted any music but here is my latest offering which is called Prapatang groves (Ted Haggard mix). I've been bust recently in the Nakatsu recording studios here producing some mixes for Beb, Sae and for myself. I hope to be posting some new toons up here soon. With the amount of music that has been posted up here I think we have a seperate music show in the making. Keep sending in your music pureezu !

Okha a.k.a. Flying Koala listening to music and talking with her friend Heyeon on the way to the top of Bukbawi Mountain in Chungbuk, Korea, Sunday, 5th November 2006. Interesting background music. Wonder what they're saying! Makes me wanna learn some Korean... Posted by Rob.

For more info about Charles's upcoming show, opening party, etc at Gallery Flou in Osaka. And here's another collaboration of Jerry's and his. Posted by Rob.

Video by Okha a.k.a. Flying Koala, starring Alex and Rob. Filmed at Cafe Barbes in Minami Horie, Osaka, and outside Chove Chuva music store in Higobashi, Osaka. What is all this song and dance about? I'm not sure I can explain it, but maybe you can look for clues at Prapatang.com. Posted by Rob.

Charles Billard has another artshow coming up soon in Osaka. We'll post more info about that later today. I also have more of Jerry's and his music to upload, but for now, please enjoy this .mp3 of an anonymous Englishman and an American trying to translate the Englishman's "favorite" French word into Japanese at an event held at l'Institut Franco-Japonais awhile back. Because sometimes things just get totally F%$#ING lost in translation. Posted by Rob.

Take a deep breath. Turn the volume up and listen to the voice, or watch it without sound. Don't bother to read the comments on YouTube. You already know what the wiseguys will be saying about this soothing sunrise. Posted by Rob.

Yet another ALT Rap remix by longtime Osaka resident Jerry Gordon. You don't have to look back too far to find his recent collaborations on projects such as The Smouldering Door with Charles Billard and others. The ALT Rap entertained and annoyed at expat parties and bars for nearly six years before finding a digital home on Alex Brooke's Learn Japanese podcast. Thanks for the remix Jerry! Vocals by Rob. Credit for the lyrics (fragmented as they now are) go to John Sanders and Rob, and for the recording of the vocal track to Alex. Collage by me. Posted by Rob.

Interested in next month's QuickFlickWorld at SuperDeluxe? Contact David: david@qfworld.tv. Tonight is the closing party for "Horumone" Sekine's exhibition "Amore Azzurro" at Bonobo. Wednesday nights are usually my DJ night there, but someone else will be DJing tonight, although I'll still be there for the party. See you there? In this podcast we also explore the dark side of the artist who calls herself Flying Koala. This darkness is starting to surface in her artwork, as you can see by the link to her homepage. Posted by Rob.

A Report is precisely that. We were someplace and recorded ourselves telling about it. Here's a classic example of one Alex sent me a little over a year ago from Fukuoka called i've got the sea. Now, a Report differs from one of our Talk Show programs in that it is usually spontaneous, sometimes on location and is recorded alone more often than not, although it might sometimes contain a spontaneous interview of sorts. Alex's and my Talk Show series usually involves very little preparation or scripting (often painfully obvious), but we've recorded it long-distance many times now, and it has become a sort of routine where agree beforehand more or less what we're going to talk about, and cue up new ideas through a Skype chat window, or edit later. Sometimes there are guests. Anyway, once I moved to Tokyo, I found it necessary to talk about things which couldn't wait, so I did my first solo podcast or report called Panic Living and Alex followed shortly thereafter with his One Man Ramble from Nakatsu, Osaka. Our portable recording device of choice is the tiny iRiver, which we take with us everywhere, even on bike rides, which is when Alex recorded Sunset Ramblings from Miyakojima Sports Island. Unfortunately, Alex finally lost it all, in Fukuoka by the sea one night after one too many English interview tests, but luckily for us, he left this farewell message. Let's enjoy podcasting! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Photo by Alex taken someplace else in Japan, maybe in Aichi Prefecture?

Posted by Rob.

Another song from Charles Billard in Osaka: "Here is the edited version of one of the recordings I did with Kurochi on the machine he made himself : The Voist." -Charles. Posted by Rob

This was one of my favorite places to spin in Osaka, unfortunately, I sometimes had to choose between taking the last train home, the first train home (sometimes crashing out on a couch for a bit), or a taxi, as it was just a bit far to cycle with all my records.  If we had a good crowd, sometimes Dan, the owner, would spot me the cabfare which wasn't cheap!  When I wasn't DJing, it was also a fun place to just hang out.  Dan was open to the type of music I tend to play, and Shawn was a master at concocting beverages from my most random word associations.  One example:  "Sex in the rainforest, without a mosquito net"  (you know, a tropical drink that's refreshing, and not too sweet) and he'd know exactly what I meant.  Now, put your headphones on, if they aren't already, and click here while you watch the slide show.  Posted by Rob.

Some more tunes have arrived from The Smouldering Door (Jerry Gordon & & Charles Billard) in their latest incarnation, PlinkPlonkCongress (with Zunko, Takezo "Tabo" Aoki, Daiki Murakami, Masao Hasegawa and Akiko Itoh).  Recorded live at Osaka Castle, this is the first of two songs we will be posting from their CD Mega Raga. 

Here are new pieces of art created by B Chan's 8 year old nephew.

 

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This idea from a video on YouTube is probably going to get copycatted more than a few times! Scouted by Alex. Posted by Rob.

Last night, as I was approaching the foot of the hill in Ichigaya where L'Institut Franco-Japonais is located, there was an opening party spilling out onto the sidewalk in front of Gallery Space Pause. Inside, you could hear Korean, Japanese, French and broken English being spoken. The artists were students from the Ulsan University College of Fine Arts in Korea. My communication with the artists and Korean staff members was minimal, but luckily the title cards were in English as well as Korean for all their artwork and there was a catalog showing most of the artwork in the exhibition as well. I had been walking all over Meguro-ku earlier in the day, so I wasn't quite my usual genki self... Photo of Lee Jin Wook with untitled work. Posted by Rob

Makiko and Rob try to channel Alex and acheive some degree of success. Prapatang, prapatang, go fry an egg (some religions say the egg is the symbol of the soul. Ichi, ichi, ichijiku, ichijiku, nanba-wan! Chanting Prapatang will summon his spirit, while feeding him the sacred fruit will satiate his divine appetite, keeping him close for your comfort. Also, checkout NFTOS superstar Flying Koala's fan club on mixi. The NFTOS pantheon of living and passed swells as with one consciousness! And, don't forget to check out the various Peter Morris projects: HaloEffect and DEM. Posted by Rob.

If you were an eikaiwa teacher listening to Broken English's first podcast, you would probably want to go out and drown your sorrows, except that the hosts in their wisdom craftily placed the ALT Rap at the end, so the listener will instead leave all this futile thinking behind with a big grin on their face. Well done! I was guided to Broken English by the departed spirit of Alex Brooke. Posted by Rob.

By the time I arrived there in 1990, the members of Deus Ex Machina were already icons of alternativity on my college campus--a place where it wasn't hard to be different. Hence I chose the "No Heroes Mix" of their track 'Domination'. The band, which consisted of the two Jims and Peter Morris, was a bit too late to be "new wave" and not scary enough for me to call them "industrial," although the influence of both genres should be obvious. Peter's has worked with a lot of people on a variety of projects since then, some which you can see in the discography section of his project called HaloEffect. I particularly recommend "Fear of Flying" from the single "Burn it Down." We've also posted some of his stuff before on this site, such as a remix of the ALT rap and some artwork for an event at Chove Chove back in April of this year. We'll be trying to get permission from the powers that be to share more collaborations with you in the near future. 1992 photo of Jim Mac & Peter by Gerik Parmele. Big thanks to Peter and the DEM posse for letting us host this track. Posted by Rob. Enjoy!

I was eating a fig, or ichijiku, and someone thought it was funny. Someone thought I was funny! Ha ha. Posted by Rob.

You can see Abdul Qadim Haqq's photos from Tokyo and from the rest of his Japan trip with UR DJ James Pennington on Third Earth Visual Arts website. I'm looking forward to their next event, which might be sometime next spring... Posted by Rob.

Taking News from the other side to new depths I recorded a suicide podcast.  Did I go too far this time? Well, I guess it is a first. Posted by Alex?
p.s. What kind of 'gun' was it? -Rob

Subscribe to Alex's solo podcast, Prapatang Living, on iTunes

Hey everyone, remember the reason for the season. It's time once again to let the pagan out! Happy Halloween from Tokyo, Japan. Wanna see Halloween photos from Japan? I didn't take many, but Bikeclubosaka.com always has tons of photos and the occaisional video.

Posted by Rob.

In the park one afternoon in October: Makiko is making a coaster. I'm recording with my iRiver. A guy is working out on some vertical bars where I fell back in May and left a big indentation in the sand with my head (photo). Posted by Rob.

Here is the latest musical offering from the multi talented gentlemen that go by the names of Charles Billard, Jerry Gordon and Takezo "Tabo" Aoki.

Thanks for the contribution guys! Posted by Alex.

29 October 2006 is Mundo Popular 3 @ La Brasserie (de l'Institut Franco-Japonais) which is part of Machitobi Festa this year. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. and ends at around 9:00 p.m. Please see Mundo Popular 2 for more links. Posted by Rob.

Shhh! Jet Jaguar needs to be played loud and you need to pay attention or you might miss something in this subtly delicious tune from Mr. Understatement himself. After you've listened to this track, check out the award-winning video Now Serving which I hope he'll let us host soon. Posted by Rob.

Makiko is making a kind of receptacle for vegetable scraps out of old newspaper. Posted by Rob.

We don't set out to offend or appal anyone, honestly, but we often do. Don't listen if you don't like toilet bowl humor, oyaji gags (corny jokes) and obnoxious attempts at accents we have no business imitating. What did we talk about? We recorded so many 10-minute segments yesterday, that I don't remember. Listen at your own risk! Posted by Rob.

Recorded last year, 27 October 2005, by Alex. Alex, any comments?

Posted by Rob.

Subscribe to Alex's solo podcast, Prapatang Living, on iTunes

Greg, a.k.a. Jonny Heartbreaker, and Alex, took a trip down memory lane to the angst ridden streets of '90s Seattle & Grunge.  We also did our own tongue in cheek tribute. Enjoy. Posted by Alex.

NFTOS is planning an artshow for the spring of 2007. Everything is pretty much open and flexible at the moment, with nothing carved in stone. Here's the idea: Something similar to the previous 3 NFTOS artshows held in Insadong (SEOUL), Noda and Taisho (OSAKA), only this time will be in TOKYO. Here's where we're at in the planning process: 1. Location: Tokyo Here's what's next: 2. Select Venue and decide on cost(s), 3. Determine number of participants, 4. Set Dates, 5. Choose Theme, 6. Set deadlines: * 7. Invite participants, 8. Create flyer/brochure, 9. Set up show, 10. Have opening party. *There will be separate deadlines for receiving digital artwork or of photos of artwork for a flyer and/or brochure, creating the flyer, receiving artwork submissions, etc. Your input is welcome! Posted by Rob.

Tonight at the Nakatsu Recording Studios, Jonny Heartbreaker of The If Factor came in and did an acoustic rendition of his song "Baby". Jonny "Bad boy" Heartbreaker writes and sings all his music and has been one of the main exponents of The If Factor which started back in October 2005. Posted by Alex.
P.S. The If Factor's only live performance was during "Mind Mangle," 11 Dec 2006, at The Oasis Lounge in Sakurajima, Osaka. Fans are still waiting for an encore!

Makiko is making something. What will it become? We'll see when it's finished. If she doesn't end up keeping it, you'll see it for sale someday on Makikomo.com. She says "If you like to stitch and bitch, then come to The Pink Cow on Tuesday evening, 14 November." Posted by Rob.

I heard from a reliable source in Osaka that Wes will be DJ'ing at Cafe Barbes tonight. I'm not sure who else will be joining him, but when we started doing regular gigs there together about a year-and-a-half ago, we were often joined by lounge DJs like Jules, Hitomi Nova and Satoshi. Cafe Barbes is a popular hangout for some of Osaka's hippest artists, DJs, filmmakers, musicians, photographers, etc. Here's a short .mp3 featuring DJs Akio and Wes on a night during the Horie Music Festival, which was also Halloween weekend, 29 Oct 2005. The photo is from 22 Apr 2006. Posted by Rob.

Waste no time! Although he calls it his official mix debut, DJ D-Mac has been making me mix tapes and CDs for almost 10 years now. We've gone to clubs and shows together in the D.C. area, we've and driven around running errands that just gave us excuses to get out of the house to listen to more music and to talk about it uninterrupted. He's got an extensive collection of 7" singles covering all genres of music, especially funk, soul and quirky unclassifiable rarities. This man is a primal hunter and collector. "Bouncing along from soul to disco to hip-hop to funky breaks and back again, this is a collection of long-time favorites, brand-new bangers and a few signature mash-ups." Enjoy! Posted by Rob

Here's another one from Noisivelvet (Joe Baldwin) in Chicago. I'll ask him if we can add this one to iTunes. Posted by Rob.

It's a lovely day, Indian Summer? I have most of the day off, and don't work until 6:00 p.m. this evening, so it was about time for another solo podcast from the couch out on my veranda. Found a interesting book on gnosticism on the discarded books shelf at work, so that means all the other books I've been trying to finish have been put on hold yet again. Today's recommended link is a friend's homepage, Seaholm.com, created by someone who might be collaborating with us in the near future. There you'll find interesting artwork, music, photography and writing by the author. Check it out! Posted by Rob.

This is another song by Osaka resident poet, writer and musician Jerry Gordon. More links coming soon. Posted by Rob.

Joe Baldwin watches the media who watch the Chicago Latino community who rally in support of one Elvira Arellano who was supposed to surrender to 'immigration' for deportation, but who chose instead to seek refuge in a church. I helped with the translation (which appears only partially). Posted by Rob.

I'm uploading an .mp3 file that I recorded with Haqq last week. (We didn't have storage space, or I would've uploaded it before the show--sorry about that Haqq!). Several more segments will follow, maybe one every other day--wouldn't want to spoil the fun by giving it all away at once! In the meantime, here's a link to Underground Resistance label. Posted by Rob.

Osaka photographer, musician and all-around artist John Harte has a show entitled "Wetdream Idols" running at the Littlemore Chika Gallery in Sendagaya, Tokyo, through 22 October. The nearest station is JR Harajuku Station. Exit the station near the Harajuku shopping street, on the "inside" of the Yamanote line and walk along the tracks until the road narrows and begins to veer away from the tracks a little (see map). If you get to the "Belle Epoque Beaty College," you've gone to far. They're open from noon until 7:00 p.m. Phone: 03-3401-1042. Posted by Rob.

I have a few audio files to upload, but not storage space, so for now, I'll just say please come out to Studio Cube 326 from 23:00 on 7 October for DJs and live painting. Suburban Knight (UR) will DJ and Abdul Qadim Haqq (above photo with sushi chef--I'll have the shop's name translated soon!) will be having an art show and a live painting session. Thanks to the folks at "elements lifeline" for the great evening! Posted by Rob.

The undisputed #1: ALT Rap video. Up one place to #2: ALT Rap Improv with live drums! Down one place to #3: Alex & Rob's excellent bicycle adventure, the Loop Line #1 video. Holding steady at #4: Nabe Party at David M's. Holding at #5: Loop Line #2. Still at #6: Loop Line #4. Up one to #7: How to Pick Up Girls. Dropping one to #8: J-League soccer: Frontale vs Cerezo. Holding at #9: 24 Hours in Nakatsu. Steady at #10: Don't Panic Danyk & crew @ Tin's Hall. Surging up 8 places to #11: Discobeans. Slipping one to #12: Postcard from Tokyo. Losing one place to #13: Who is Rob?. Down one to #14: What's Your Favorite Word in Japanese? Steady at #15: Loop Line #3. Down two pegs to #16: Watching the World Cup at Bar Grain. Down one to #17: Panorama. Hopping up 6 rungs to #18: Alex & Rob's Talk Show #1. Up one to #19: Icitte les Oeufs... Dropping three to #20: Postcard from China. Down 3 to #21: News From The Tub #1 (Censored). Down one to #22: Postcard from Fiji. Minus one to #23: Cafe Barbes. Down one to #24: Prologue. Rounding out the top quarter at #25: Quest's ALT Re-Rap mp3. This is podcast #104. Posted by Rob.

This is another song by Osaka resident Jerry Gordon. More links coming soon. Posted by Rob.

On Saturday night, there's Abdul Qadim Haqq's artshow opening party and live painting event at Studio Cube 326. Then, on Sunday evening, it's John Harte's photography exhibit and opening party at the Littlemore Chika Gallery. I'll be DJ'ing for Haqq's opening party on Saturday night. Details coming soon! Photo by John Harte. Posted by Rob.

Today I watched the sun set over the hills of Akashi and rambled on about Fiji, music, doing absolutely nothing and the new Japanese prime minister. I talked about everything and nothing. Check it out if you dare.

Still counting them up for ya! (With a few errors that I'm correcting in the notes here as I go--details coming soon!) This particular podcast would be our 101st file created. Posted by Rob.

As of this podcast, we have now created 100 audio and/or video files to download! (*In this podcast I mistakenly called Talk Show #15 the 100th, when the 100th was actually this one. **Also, somewhere at around number 80, I failed to mention Panic Living #6 - "Earthquake!") Who are "we?" Well, that's a good question. Let's see, there are Makiko, David R., myself, plus several other collaborators and interviewees here in Tokyo, then there are Alex, Charles, Dan, Jerry, Patrick and more in Osaka, Okha (a.k.a. Flying Koala) in Seoul, Will Spin in the U.K. (London?), Noisivelvet in Chicago, Quest and Dirty Martini (a.k.a. DJ Kung-fu Grip) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Jim and my brother Hans (a.k.a. the h-monster) in Maryland. And those are just the creators of stuff that we've made available for iTunes. Did I miss anyone? If so, please accept our apology, and add your disappointed comments below. If you browse the weblog, you'll find all sorts of links to friends in Japan and in other places who are working on a wide array of fascinating projects. Tune in for the rest of the TOP 100! Posted by Rob.

You will be glad to know that this episode has absolutely no swearing in it at all whatsoever. Well, at least it doesn't anymore thanks to some well placed animal sounds and other sound effects. I wonder if this is really OK for the "Clean" rating on iTunes. Anyway, Rob will provide the relevant links and something a lot more interesting than this terrible blurb...won't you Rob ? Mais, bien sur conard! Click here for Alex's attempt to destroy the Kanayama Washington Hotel in writing. Click here for makikomo soap and all the other makikomo links and the Groovy Groove Harvest poster art link. And the common thread? MY ART! Mine, mine mine! Ha ha ha. Posted by Alex, then censored by Rob.

To be held rain or shine, 1 October 2006, Sunday, at Minatomachi Riverplace. 10月1日 (日) 雨天決行 １２：��〜２１：��. 湊町リ�ープレイス（�ん� Hatch. More info. Artwork by Rob! Posted by Rob.

National Couch Appreciation Day. A Saturday, a holiday and no money. Luckily, a friend lent me a Hunter S. Thompson classic "The Rum Diary." And luckily, I still have internet and a battery for my iRiver! Posted by Rob.

Try the soap that looks like fudge candy, smells good enough to eat, and tastes, um well, we'll let you decide how it tastes. Makiko has kicked off an online store which you can read more about in this week's Tokyo Metropolis. Still not convinced? Then hear Alex sing his praise of the wonderfully hygenic stuff! Posted by Rob.

My college buddy Brian and his wife Amber's wedding was televised on Chinese TV. Now it's on YouTube! Required reading: Apples & Oranges. More links to Brian's blog and stuff like that soon, I promise. Posted by Rob.

The Flying Koala a.k.a. Okha has been traveling around the Mediterranean, first Egypt, then Turkey. Here's the message she left us when she embarked on her journey and here's her photo blog which she's been updating countinuously. Posted by Rob.

This was Bashiri's first time to hold a cavaquinho, or so he said. Moments before, he'd just made everyone think he was a pro at it. Once the iRiver was turned on, he got a little shy. Posted by Rob.

National Rain Appreciation Day, or whatever rainy national holiday it is today in Kagurazaka, Tokyo. Which holiday is it exactly? I have no idea, and neither do most Japanese people, because ancient holidays have been stripped of any original meaning and given politically correct names. It's pouring down rain, so i'm going to call this National Rain Appreciation Day, or just "NRA" for short. Posted by Rob.

The competition is getting fierce! This ALT Rap version is by Charles Billard. You can hear all previous versions on MySpace or download the vocal track and make your own remix. Credit for the lyrics go to John Sanders and Rob, and for the recording of the vocal track to Alex. Posted by Rob.

On my way home today I got an e-mail inviting me to DJ tomorrow night at Expansion. Don't have much info yet other than the link. Stay tuned! Posted by Rob.

A little earthquake shakes me up just after recording podcast #5, so I just missed recording during the earthquake itself, but you can hear my reaction while my heart was still pounding from it. Link to all versions of the ALT Rap on MySpace. Posted by Rob.

I've gotten a bit behind with the podcasting due to being busy from my new job, but also because there's more going on than I'll ever be able to keep up with in Tokyo, and I've only just begun to be sucked into the vortex. This podcast, recorded 7 September 2006 on the sofa out on my veranda, focuses first on Noisivelvet's audio and visual works. Then on the upcoming NFTOS CD. Finally, do you wanna help organize a NFTOS art show? If you host it, we will come! Posted by Rob.

QFWorld.tv link. I believe this is the podcast where I mistakenly call Cornelius's former band "A Bathing Ape," which of course is a line of clothing. The band was called "Flipper's Guitar." I think I also called MC Solaar a DJ. Please forgive me, I hadn't eaten for along time, and with all the excitement... Posted by Rob.

[Oops! This file seems to have been replaced with another one by the same name. If anyone finds a file in their iTunes called EXMIC030.mp3 which has David, Yuka, Kasumi and I talking about QuickFlickWorld, I would like a copy!] Last night I met up with David, Kasumi and Yuka at Combine in Nakameguro last night. They are working on a monthly film contest which will debut this month. More on that soon! In this segment, we talked about Cornelius, who lives in Nakameguro, MC Solaar (he's an MC, not a DJ as I so erroneously stated), karaoke favorites, Morning Musume, Shina Ringo, Hamasaki Ayumi, Aiko, Shinohara Tomoe, and about what is going on around town this weekend, including a samba parade in Musashi Sakai. Hope everyone's having a great weekend, but I'm crashing out early tonight. �や�����! Posted by Rob.

Noisivelvet.com.

Posted by Rob.

OOPS! I downloaded the wrong .mp3 file from my iRiver. I'll figure it out sooner or later. Just before I left for my bike ride this morning, "Kuro Neko" Yamato delivery dropped off a box from my former roommate in Osaka. How sweet & kind! I feel special and not yet forgotten. When I got back, Osaka-based Texan artist Raymond Dunlap called to tell me he'd received the copies of ZaBeat that I sent him yesterday--that was QUICK! When I got off the phone with him, I decided to google the man and see what I could find. There were quite a few interesting links, which merit being dug up and re-posted, so expect a few more links like this one soon: click! Wednesday and Thursday are my new weekend, so I'm going to kick back and take it easy for awhile, then maybe run some errands in Shibuya later in the afternoon, and maybe hang out at Taiyo Record for awhile. Not only have I noticed that I cough a lot once I started podcasting, but I've also begun to notice how much I say "basically" and "like." I'm going to try to pay more attention to that when I'm speaking. Posted by Rob.

Coming at you from Nakatsu, Osaka, and Kagurazaka, Tokyo, Alex and Rob talk about Alex's day off, and his jam session with a local cellist and an out of towner guitarist (David M). Rob talks about past events SambaNova and Flo-Union, and about the upcoming SambaNova event, featuring Beto Caletti at L'Institut Franco-Japonais in Ichigaya, Tokyo. We also talk about new albums by South American artists Affonsinho and Martin Buscaglia, an upcoming film release party called Rudy Soup which will be held at Loop-line Cafe in Sendagaya, Tokyo. I think the most philosphical questions we pondered were whether Japanese musicians are too stiff and serious when in concert, and whether one dances for the simple pleasure of dancing, to show off your skills or to get laid. In the end, I don't think we answered these questions, but I'd just like to reiterate that I like to dance, and it irritates the hell out of me when people just stand around and watch some "professional," no matter how good they are or how many awards they've won. I don't know what it is with us, but either we're way over the top, and say stuff that would get us killed somewhere, or I end up sounding like an uptight whiner. At least we can say none of it is scripted. Finally, Alex didn't mention any upcoming events for Osaka, but you all know what to do! Just go to BikeClubOsaka.com and check their event listings. I trust Alex will bring some up in our next show! Posted by Rob.

The ubiquitous Osaka web project dreamt up and run by James Russell and Erik Archer recently received its millionth page view. I had the pleasure of DJ'ing at the Bike Club Osaka kickoff party back in March of 2005, and have also presented art at their events, used their website to promote my own events, and helped promote their events and the website in a variety of ways since. Now I hear there's a Bike Club Tokyo in the works, and I hope to be a part of that in some way or another as well. This podcast is one of a couple of "interview" segments Alex and I did with Erik back in February or March of this year. Those were heady days for all of us. We were hyper-inspired and trying hard to figure out how to channel all the creative energy in the most effective ways we could. We're older and wiser now, I assure you! Since that time Bike Club has surfaced in many forms all over Osaka and Japan, including in print. Here Erik is on the cover of the Kansai Scene September 2006 issue featuring an article on alternate careers to the seemingly standard "eikaiwa" teaching job many English speaking foreigners have in Japan. Cover photo by Akif Hakan Celebi. More on the photographer. Posted by Rob.

I'm not sure why this video has gotten the most hits on Revver, but I have a couple ideas. First, I put it up during the World Cup and I think the title "La Terrazza" might also be the name of a group of Italian football supporters. Second, the DJ tag probably drew some attention. Anyway, at the moment it has over 400 views, which is not that many, but not that bad either. Although it's not my favorite video, I had fun filming it and editing it. To find the other NFTOS videos on Revver, just do a search for the NFTOS tag. Next I'll post our top video on YouTube which has quite a few more hits than this one. Hey Alex, what's the top Learn Japanese video on Revver? Posted by Rob.

Just when you thought you'd had way way more than enough, there's more! Here's DJ Kung-fu Grip (a.k.a. Dirty Martini, a.k.a. Peter Morris) with the DJ Kung-Fu Grip Mix! For other versions, incluging the vocals only track, look in NFTOS music... Peter says: "I spent 2 weeks writing this intricate instrumentation. All these alternating bass lines, drum loop changes, and synth riffs... And I just chucked it. I really like the original. And it's hard to improve on perfection. So, I just took a loop from the theme to the old TV show SWAT and dropped the vocals on top of it. It sounded so much better, and a hell of a lot more fun." -pm. Sign us, don't sue! Link to all versions of the ALT Rap on MySpace. Vocals by Rob. Credit for the lyrics go to John Sanders and Rob, and for the recording of the vocal track to Alex. Posted by Rob.

Message from Charles: "Hello everyone! I will have an exhibition at Cafe Absinthe (Kita-Horie, Osaka) with my recent works for September 3rd to September 30th. The opening night is September 10th, at 19h, with live music by Kyoto sound artist K_Kalna from 20h, and sitar by Tadao Ishihama from 20h30. Be sure to visit both of these artists's websites. You can also find some of my recent paintings on my blog. Hope you can come and enjoy this art and music event." -Charles-Eric Billard. Cafe Absinthe, Moriwaki Bldg 1F, 1-16-18 Kitahorie, Nishi-ku, Osaka. Telephone : (06) 6534-6635. Open : 11:30-2:00 Mon, Wed-Sat / 15:00-24:00 Sun. Posted by Rob.

Here's an old cell phone video Alex shot while we were cycling back from Maishima Sports Island (I think that's when it was) sometime in the summer of 2005. You may have already seen it if you subscribe to the Beb & Alex Show or if you keep up with Bike Club Osaka's forums.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, JR Loop Line, Alex Brooke, Beb and Alex Show, Bike Club Osaka, Maishima Sports Island, Osaka Dome, cell phone, video, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Osaka, Japan, bicycle, cycling, mobile

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Been so busy lately, I almost forgot to post something about tonight's Flo Union @ The Pink Cow. Flo Union is a monthly event which features DJs, live performances, tormented poets, etc. I'll be providing the sonic wallpaper. The event starts at 7:30, but I'll be there to set up a bit earlier, maybe about an hour before things kick off. 8月27æ—¥ (日曜日) 19:30~? 毎月様々ã?ªåˆ†é‡Žã?®ã‚¢ãƒ¼ãƒ†ã‚£ã‚¹ãƒˆé?”ã?«ç™ºè¡¨ã?¨ãƒ?ットワーキングã?®å ´ã‚’æ??ä¾›ã?™ã‚‹ã‚¤ãƒ™ãƒ³ãƒˆã€‚ 発表ã?™ã‚‹ã‚‚良ã?—ã€?見ã?«æ?¥ã?¦å?‹é?”を作るã?®ã‚‚良ã?—。ショートフィルムã€?音楽ã€?è©©ã€?写真ã€? アートã€?何ã?§ã‚‚ OK ã?§ã?™ã€‚ Click here for Flo Union's mixi or here for a map. Posted by Rob.

Alex, Makiko, Patrick and Rob wind up an evening on the town. I'll be DJing at Flo-Union @ The Pink Cow on Sunday Evening from 7:00. Expect live music, live painting and other performances. More details later--no, just listen to the podcast. Posted by Rob.

If you want to discuss NFTOS related stuff, promote a new project, or just show how OTAKU (nerdy) you are, I've created a NFTOS group on MySpace. Of course, we still have the forums on mixi (in Japanese and English) and MSN Groups. Check them out!

Posted by Rob.

p.s. The lastest NFTOS forum created is on facebook.com

The other day I came across this bizzare English exercise workout video for women afraid of being mugged while on holiday in some scary foreign country that seems to be some kind of mishmash between the States and Australia. (Note the mugger's and the cop's accents) Anyway, I simply couldn't get that damn tune out of my head and neither will you with this mega remix. Listen again and again until you end up rocking back and forth on a chair obsessively chanting "take anything you want"
Posted by Alex.

Flying Koala (creator of the wonderful banner art at the top of the page) is back from her North American trip and will soon be off to Cairo, Egypt! Read all about her new travels in English and Korean, see some great travel photos and check out her intriguing artwork too! Posted by Rob.

(In progress) Here are our pride and joy, our claims to fame, as of 10 August 2006. Not all great, but then again, some of these have helped pay for the gadgets that make them possible and have gotten us quite a bit of free food and drinks to boot. 1. The undisputed ALT Rap video. 2. Alex & Rob's excellent bicycle adventure: Loop Line #1. 3. ALT Rap Improv with live drums! 4. Nabe Party at David M's. 5. Loop Line #2. 6. Loop Line #4. 7. J-League soccer: Frontale vs Cerezo. 8. How to Pick Up Girls. 9. 24 Hours in Nakatsu. 10. Don't Panic Danyk & crew @ Tin's Hall. 11. Postcard from Tokyo. 12. Who is Rob?. 13. What's Your Favorite Word in Japanese? 14. Watching the World Cup at Bar Grain. 15. Loop Line #3. 16. Panorama. 17. Postcard from China. 18. News From The Tub #1. 19. Discobeans. 20. Icitte les Oeufs... 21. Postcard from Fiji. 22. Cafe Barbes. 23. Prologue. 24. Alex & Rob's Talk Show #1. 25. Quest's ALT Re-Rap mp3. 26. Makiko's Jikoshoukai. 27. New From The Tub #2 feat. Alex. 28. El Gringo's Bossa Lounge @ Cafe Absinthe. 29. La Terrazza @ Cafe Pangea. 30. I Like Meat. 31. Flo-Union @ The Pink Cow. 32. Alex's Soapmonster Song. 33. Quest's Shinbashi Station. 34. Charles's artwork Collective Memory as filmed by Rob. 35. Trenchparrots' Irrepressible Urges of Spring. 36. Talk Show #4: The Summit. 37. Nakatsu Music Project. 38. Talk Show #3. 39. Postcard from China by Charles. 40. Trash Talk with Beb about the environment (in Japanese) from her podcast BEB! GOODY! GOODY!. Posted by Rob.

This is a summer festival in Osaka which always draws huge crowds. There's a parade, food tents along the Ogawa, river barge floats and fireworks which all take place near Tenmangu Shrine. I enjoyed the festival so much, I even wrote a haiku about it awhile back: ����や / �ん�ん��り / �����。Here's more specific info about the event. Video by Alex. Posted by Rob.

Take Anything You Want! (There's probably nothing you'd be interested in though...) More details and links coming soon. Posted by Rob.

Here are the lowest of the low, as of 10 August 2006. NOT all bad, but then again, some of these are NOT what we want to be remembered for when we're dead: 41. Mundo Popular 2 @ L'Institut. 42. Prapatang Kitchen #1. 43. Walking Home from Murphy's Pub (discontinued to protect the guilty). 44. ALT Rap mp3. 45. A Chat with DJ Wes. 46. Talk Show #2: World Cup. 47. Panic Living #1. 48. Alex's Orange Princess (an ode to DJ Sachiko). 49. Trenchparrots' Nuthin' to Say. 50. Meeting at Ebisu Stn. to Eat Meat. 51. Will Spin's JR Loop Line Song. 52. Quest's All The Little Things. 53. Trenchparrot's My Ex-Girlfriend Walks In. 54. Greetings from Wakayama. 55. Tsuchifumazu Art Show. 56. Happy Birthday to Rob from Hans. 57. Trenchparrots' Footprints. 58. "Cafe Velo" visits Cafe Amanto. 59. Smoldering Door's Wroclaw Panache. 60. Fiesta Mexicana at Umeda Sky Bldg. 61. ALT Rap Vocals Only - Please sample & mix! 62. Panic Living #2: Business as Usual. 63. Prapatang Kitchen #2. 64. Talk Show #6: 馬鹿外人! 65. Hans discusses dragonflies while watching Sweden vs Germany in World Cup 2006. 66. Hans with horns on Cinco de Mayo. 67. Sushi Party at David R's. 68. Hans looks for Ptarmigan in Colorado. 69. Anonymous Indian Techie Remix. 70. Limelight Circus Live @ L'Institut. 71. Quest's song Nebra-ska. 72. Alex's song I Wanna Tell You. 73. Alex Wins 2006 Tour de France. 74. Panic Living #3. 75. Alex's One Man Ramble from Nakatsu. 76. Talk Show #5. 77. Anonymous Indian Techie Sample. 78. Alex & Neil Talk Brazil. 79. Talk Show #7: Straight from the Heart. 80. Talk Show #8: The Governor. Posted by Rob.

Alex just e-mailed me with this late-breaking news: "it's official, learn japanese is more popular than tiki bar! or less unpopular... " (He's referring to Libsyn's Hott100 rankings). Yet another classic case of the "is the glass half empty or is the glass half full?" scenario. In the podcasting business (in my case it's strictly volunteer work), one must never second-guess oneself! Or re-type a blog post, or self-sensor, because by the time the work hits iTunes it's already been compromised 1000 times. Go with your gut! But that's a tangent I just went on, one which I will probably go right ahead and edit later. The real story here is that TikiBar TV (and of course French Maid TV) were our podcast heros, the ones we aspired to be when we were first getting started, way back in 2005. TikiBar TV started out as a really great show (watch episodes 1-9, those were the best) which has kind of lost the plot lately, especially in the last two space girl episodes. Alex on the other hand, has consistently turned out appalling Japanese language learning shows, occaisionally spiked with a few of my annoying oyaji-gag jokes, and saved only by the SEXY voice and native Japanese skills of BEB. Amen. Rock on Beb and Alex! And I hope that some of your HALO rubs off and has an EFFECT on NFTOS, because that's what this podcast is all about! No pun intended, well, OK, maybe there were a few. 寒���む�。Posted by Rob.

Alex, Dan and Rob discuss a wide range of topics. Guest intro by the Governor of California. I really think this guy should be President of the United States of America. If you think Clinton and Bush have been easy targets to poke fun at, just imagine what it could be like with King Arnie in the White House! The possibilities are endless... A few minor laws may have to be rewritten, but I wholeheartedly endorse this man for the job. Posted by Rob.

Gayle Wheatley is a multi-talented artist who I met in Osaka while we were both on JET Program. I had the opportunity to do two group art shows with her during that time. She's created some really interesting interactive websites which have included a varitey of art, graphic art and photography. Here's message from Gayle: "Hi There! The long anticipated re-design of GayleWheatley.com is finally complete!! Version 5.0 features a fully-updated portfolio with tons of new paintings, illustrations, and design samples. Have a look around...comments & impressions are always welcome! Enjoy, Gayle." Posted by Rob.

Alex, Dan (a.k.a. MC Suspek) and Rob talk about the age old topic of whether or not it's easy for "foreign guys to pick up girls in Japan" as a continuation of a thread Dan posted on Bike Club Osaka. Dan tells us about life in Miami. And, for some reason or another, my mic had a BIG ECHO--sorry about that. Check out the Argyle Pimpin' video we talked about on YouTube. Artwork by Rob: "Home is Where the Heart Is." Posted by Rob.

After Floyd Landis's disqualification set off a domino effect eliminating the other 138 finishers and all professional and amateur cyclists ever registered, the Tour de France title has been handed to an Englishman for the first time in the race's history. Alex Brooke, who was not even in France this summer, will be crossing the chunnel to pick up the trophy as soon as he is knighted at a tea and biscuits ceremony at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and attended by Tony Blair, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, David and Victoria Beckham and Ali G. The British Empire, usually known for inventing sports only to be defeated in them by their subjects in the colonies, finally has a new hero. Tim Henman was unavailable for comment.

This report posted by Rob.

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My friend Amy (Silver Lucy Design) is doing another event. Sometime, before too long, we're going to get her over here to Japan for some fashion shows in Tokyo and Osaka. Posted by Rob.

Here's some news FOR the other side. "Thanks to Rob and Alex at newsfromtheotherside.com for their recent support. Ivor Cutler reads The Dong with the Luminous Nose, I read some of my poems and one of Russell Edson's. Comedy from Chris Morris' Blue Jam and Music from Syd Barret (RIP) and John Hayden (News from the Other Side.)" From Patrick in Osaka.

Beb, Alex & Rob got mentioned in a JapanZine article, just a blurb in an article about podcasting, but we got mentioned nonetheless! The podcast was Alex's baby i日本語 / Learn Japanese, and if you are still reading at this point, you can follow this link to the article here. Posted by Rob.

This is part one of the Mundo Popular 2 evening at La Brasserie de l'Institut Franco-Japonais. The DJ portion, actually part two, was posted first. Posted by Rob.

On 23 July 2006, La Brasserie de l'Institut Franco-Japonais hosted a world music event featuring live music by Limelight Circus, Beakers Duo, and DJs from the Samba Nova and Taiyo Record posses. It was, well, see for yourself! The live music portion will be edited and posted before long. This post was by Rob.

Here's something new from Hayden a.k.a. Quest: "County of Lancaster. City of Lincoln. State of Nebra-ska. Reggae from a 100 watt white boy in the heartland. Aw shucks mama." -Quest

Here's some music for you by me Alex Brooke. I recorded this last year on my Mac connected to some other whistles and bells. Interestingly enough I posted this on the Podsafe music network and it got used on the podcast Des Grenouilles dans la Vallee in the video "Moto, boulot, Cupertino". It's done by a French guy working at Apple in California and the video shows his daily commute to work. Pretty cool stuff. Hope you enjoy it. You can check out more of my music HERE...

This time Alex is on the hot chocolate high and Rob is having his post caffeine crash. Big shout out to Tekumi, the peeps at "I Can't Read Japanese" (a.k.a. 馬鹿外人) on mixi and the other know who you are. Featured music is by me Alex Brooke entitled "Tales from Prapatang". Prapatang, say it loud and say it proud. (Rob here, I just realized that when I get back from my bike ride, I won't have any space left on my iRiver to sit back and record my satisfaction with my ride and the sudden change for the better in the weather. Makiko also took some video on Sunday night, so I won't have space on the memory card either. I guess it's time to get to work and edit some audio & video!) Posted by Alex and Rob.

Alex and Rob talk about stuff. Rob, I think you can do a way better write up than me! Cheers, Alex. Here in Prapatangland we go about our daily business of writing reports (about English lessons taught) and wonder what it would be like to be in another line of work--not that we don't like our jobs. At lunch today, I saw various foreign Tokyoites of various ethnicities and it just made me wonder what they all do. Something to make your headspin? Posted by Alex and Rob.

Here's the first podcast show by Osaka resident Patrick Widdess who plays great tunes and reads his witty poems, including two of my favorites "How to Catch an Octopus" and "The Smell of Cubes." Posted by Rob.

Here's a link to a new Halo Effect and Scott Adams collaboration called My Love. Halo Effect is the musical incarnation of Peter Morris who created an e-flyer for my Chove Chuva event back in April. If you like this song, you can check out his slightly darker side on haloeffect.us, or on his MySpace homepage, and if you want to dig even farther back, try the Deus Ex Machina archives. Posted by Rob.

"I took the liberty of editing a slice of the up coming loop line five. Here we see Rob perform the ALT rap al fresco next to Osaka Jo Koen station with a drummer we met on the tour de loop. Anyway, this is just a preview of what's to come in the next loop line installment. I'm sure Rob will be putting these up on Revver, Youtube etc...won't you Rob?" -Alex. Yeah, and on MySpace too! Don't forget, partial credit for the lyrics go to John Sanders. Posted by Rob.

@ La Brasserie de l'Institut. ７月２３日�日曜日�16:00~21:30. Live Performance: Tokyo Limelight Circus (accoustic, swing, traditional, jive), Beakers Duo (folkloric accoustic pop). DJs: Yoshihiro Narita (NRT/Samba Nova), Shota Inaba (Rip Curl Recordings/Impartmaint), Yukari Nakahashi (Ahora Corporation), Toshihiro Sasaki (Intoxicate/nmnl), Shigeki Sekine (Drink 'Em All), El Gringo, Ryosuke Itoh(Taiyo Record). Info: 03 3235 8825, info@taiyorecord.com, http://www.institut.jp. NO COVER CHARGE.

Just got back from a jog. What's happening in Kagurazaka? I don't know. I was indoors all day, after having been away for a week, and there was a lot I had to get done. Once on the streets of Tokyo, however, a lot of sights and smells that had become ordinary were noticeable again. On the internet front, seanbedlam is losing it over on YouTube. I think that programs like 'Tube, just like anything on the internet, can be a blessing and/or a curse. What do you think about YouTube/Revver/MySpace? Elsewhere, rumors are ciraculating that the English poet Patrick Widdess has a podcast. I haven't come across it yet, but I've seen some of his photos online. We'll be talking to DJ Wes soon. Apparently, he's gotten himself a computer and internet. We're going to get him on Skype and then get him addicted to podcasting too! Tomorrow, I'll be DJ'ing at Loop Line Cafe in Sendagaya as a warm-up for the main course, Sunday's event at the Institut Franco-Japonais in Ichigaya. I Should be at Loop Line between 12-6 p.m. More will be posted on all the above soon! Your comments, audio and visual responses welcome! Posted by Rob.

Just watched Nathan Miller's episode 170 of Bicycle Sidewalk, and I would say it's a must for lovers of eclectic music. The video is short and sweet. Episode 168 is a bit longer shows a tatoo artist at work!

12 July, Downtown Tokyo, workin' for the man, I came across a demonstration by tunnel workers demanding compensation for their (work related?) health problems. Today, it actually made front page of the Japan Times (English newspaper). 13 July, while walking home from the station after work, I melted into the asphalt as a light summer rain pitter-pattered and failed to cool.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Panic Living, Business as usual, Tokyo, Kasumigaseki, demonstration, work, job, teaching, government, Hibiya Park, rain, �京, 日本

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By a friend of Charles Billard, who wishes to remain nameless. Posted by Rob.

My good friend and Uber techboy Neil Roodyn talked to me about his trip to Brazil, armed guards, 28 star hotels, Chile and Oz. Check out his own podcast here. Posted by Alex.

This sample was just begging to be remixed. Sorry Mr Technician on the phone over in India, but you are now part of the wonders of the internet. This sample was recorded by a friend of Charles Billard's who has chosen to remain nameless. Charles wrote, "what do you think? Is it worth a special section-- Indian Technicians--on your site?" Nah, but we'll put this sample, and the subsequent remix in the "music" section of our podcasts. Stay tuned for the remix! Posted by Rob.

Brought to you from the Nakatsu penthouse studios by the banks of the Yodo river in Osaka, I talk about a bit of this and that. This was inspired by Rob's solo podcast. Hopefully we will be doing more of these in the future.

Posted by Alex.

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Alex is busy today, so it's just me on the couch on my veranda. The sun shines, wind blows, birds chirp, cars pass...

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Panic Living, solo podcast, Tokyo, Japan, Kim Jong-il, World Cup, Hidetoshi Nakata, David Millar, EPO, doping ban, Italy, France, football, Tour de France, Brazil, alien, �京, 日本

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Well, that was not a pretty ending. And who would've predicted a final without Germany or Brazil? I must say my own predictions took a dive after the first round (usually they hold at a steady 60-80% throughout the tournament). Expect to hear more saucy headlines about weather or not Italy will be allowed to host Euro 2012 (depending on how sordid the gossip is regarding the Italian league's homegrown matchfixing scandal), and will there be anything that resembles professional sport in Spain once "Operación Puerto" runs its course (cyclists, soccer players and others implicated). Meanwhile, over here in Japan, the World Cup long forgotten, Nakata Hidetoshi has announced his retirement from footie, the Japanese "Self-Defense Forces" are withdrawing troops from Iraq and Kim Jong "The Il One" is launching missles into the Sea of Japan (or the East Sea, depending on your geographic sensibilities) for purely peaceful reasons... Think of it as their way of celebrating "4th of July" with expensive fireworks. Much is being made of these missle tests here, but let's face it, if any of them had touched Japanese or American soil, I probably wouldn't be writing this sort of blog entry today now would I? Well, I imagine Alex and I will be podcasting these topics and more soon. Anyone else wanna join us? We can ring you up, or include your mp3 recording in our next podcast. Posted by Rob.

What's happening in Osaka and Tokyo this weekend with the NFTOS crew? Alex and Rob chat about DJ events, the latest 関西�会 (Kansai no kai) in Ebisu*, art show parties, the Loop Line Cafe-Bar in Sendagaya, World Cup watching, the Italian football scandal and "Operación Puerto," which will keep many top professional cyclistis out of this year's Tour de France (starting tomorrow in Strasbourg, France). Attention all Tour de France teams: If you need a rider, I'm clean and I'll ride! Posted by Rob.

Hans discusses the differences between sand dragons and shadow dragons while watching Sweden vs Germany in the comfort of his Baltimore pad. Posted by Rob.

MIDDLE 20: 21. Prologue - video, 22. Discobeans - video, 23. Tubcast #2 (Alex) - video, 24. La Terrazza @ Cafe Pangea - video, 25. Flow Union @ The Pink Cow - video, 26. Shinbashi Station (Quest) - song, 27. Makiko's Soap Monster (Alex) - spoken word, 28. Talk Show #1 (Alex & Rob), 29. Introduction: Makiko (日本語) - video, 30. Cafe Absinthe - video, 31. ALT Re-Rap (Quest) - song, 32. I Like Meat- video, 33. Nakatsu Music Project (Alex & Charles) - song, 34. Postcard from China #2 - video, 35. Collective Memory - cell phone video, 36. Irrepressible Urges of Spring (Trenchparrots) - song, 37. On The Way Home From Murphy's Pub - video, 38. Trash Talk with Beb (日本語) - audio podcast, 39. DJ Wes Interview - audio podcast, 40. Prapatang Kitchen #1: "Today We Making Egg" with Umbeke Seleko.

Our current banner art and several more banners like it were created by Okha (a.k.a. Flying Koala, who used to live in Seoul, but who is most likely traveling somwhere in the US at the moment. Awhile back several of us were talking about having different language pages for NFTOS. Okha, ever energetic and creative, came up with this banner right away. While we decide how and when to use it, I thought we could just post it here now along with a link to the latest artwork on her blog. If you snoop around a bit you'll also find photos from past artshows in Seoul and Osaka, the 2002 World Cup in Seoul and Osaka, Okha's other visits to Osaka and all sort of travels and interesting stuff. If you can't read Korean, you'll probably still be able to recognize the MSN groups format. Posted by Rob.

I wasn't able to see the USA vs Ghana match last night (残念�), because they showed Italy vs Czech Repbublic here instead. I'd just woken up after a very short night of sleep--went to bed at 1:00 and woke up at 4:30, just in time to see a well-executed goal by Japan followed by a very creative goal by the canaries just before the half, at which point I decided to stay awake a little while longer, and ended up staying awake for the rest of the game. My grandfather e-mailed me for my take on the Americans' demise. He writes: "There's a lot of unhappiness here. I just heard a TV sports guy jump all over Donovan--who's home is just a couple of miles east of us. He said that Donovan was sleep-walking thru the whole game!!" Well, I'm sure we're not the only country with "armchair quarterbacks" trying to explain what went wrong at this world cup. What the hell do they know about football? Have they played in a World Cup? Same with Japan. I might not like Zico as a coach, but ultimately Brazil and Japan just don't compare do they? And Australia were much more physical and disciplined. They stayed in the game until the final whistle. I agree with the commentators on the Guardian's podcast who said the US were playing textbook football, and I think that it applies to Japan as well. They play it very well, but it's not very creative--so predictable to defend against. Kind of like running on first down and passing on third down in American football. But then what the hell do I know? Posted by Rob.

Today I downloaded a bunch of different shows on iTunes. Watched a cool video today from Des Grenouilles dans la Vallee about the World Cup as it is being experienced in San Francisco. You can see Mexican fans taking to the streets while celebrating their 3-1 victory vs (Iran?) and fans of a different green-white-red flag watching the U.S. vs Italy game (ouch!) which ended in a 1-1 draw. Another interesting World Cup related podcast is actually a a podcast which teaches you Argentine Slang podcast called Desde el Bano. Sofia's done 3 podcasts dealing specifically with the World Cup and football (soccer) vocabulary in general, and for the third episode she brings in her brother Julio who speaks like a typical Argentine male would about el futbol. Nathan Miller, who lives in Fukuoka, Japan, had another fun show on Bicycle Sidewalk. This was his 159th edition. This man is a prolific podcast producer! Sorry about all the missing accents. My computer only does English and Japanese. To do otherwise requires a bit of technical ingenuity which I don't have. And, finally, Alex and I recorded a bunch of coffee-fueled podcasts today which we weren't able to upload due to some upgrades that Libsyn are in the middle of doing. Posted by Rob.

Shout out to Otaku Generation who played our song. Yay for the OG crew! These guys must be an army. I've never heard so many people on the mic for a podcast. Sounds like they're all having a good time too. WARNING: These guys are serious Otaku. Don't listen to it unless you are already warped (if you are reading this, you probably already are). Discovered by Alex. Posted by Rob.

Rob asked me how our collaborative video efforts were doing on the Learn Japanese website and the answer is very well. In fact, the NFTOS videos we posted there overtook the Kanji videos by Stan Fairbank (big props) which were intended to be the main focus. That might be due to the limited Kanji learner demographic vs the everything else demographic including Japan nerds, artists, musicians and penguin lovers. Anyway,  the no.1 video is of course ALT rap which got 6521 hits. That got played on all kinds of podcasts the latest being Otaku Generation. (Show Direct download.) Favorite word got 4487 hits, I like meat got a whopping 4224 hits, Makiko's self introduction was 3,134 and the Maruchika video with Beb totaled 3685. 

In our struggle to define what NFTOS is all about, it might help to clean out the cellar. These are the bottom 20 mp3 tracks and videos--all with well under 100 downloads. Who knows what else you might find, if you snoop around? Help bring your favorite videos and songs out of the cellar! JUST CLICK and enjoy! Dead last: ALT Rap Vocal Track (Rob), 2. Sushi Party - video, 3. Wroclaw Panache (Smoldering Door) - ecclectic music, 4. Birdwatching in Colorado (Hans) - video, 5. Mexican Fiesta - mobile phone video, 6. Hans With Horns - video, 7. All The Little Things (Quest) - dubby instrumental, 8. ALT Rap (Alex Brooke version) - song, 9. Cafe Amanto - talk, 10. Japan Rail Song feat. samples from Tennoji Station (Will Spin), 11. Prapatang Kitchen #2 - video, 12. I Like Meat(report from Ebisu Station) - mp3, 13. Footprints (Trenchparrots) - song, 14. Wakayama Sayonara - video, 15. Tsuchifumazu Art Show - video, 16. World Cup Predictions (Alex & Rob Talk Show #2), 17. Birthday Greeting from Hans - video, 18. Prapatang Kitchen #1 - video, 19. Tom's Diner (Trenchparrots) - bad cover song, 20. Nuthin' to Say (Trenchparrots) - song. Honorable mention: Orange Princess (Alex) - spoken word. Posted by Rob. p.s. Please let me know if any of the links are wrong!

Since Alex and I started this vlog back in January, we've deleted the counter and deleted the cluster map a few times, but our Libsyn stats show that we have over 5,000 unique downloads to date (with 1,283 podcatchers and 3,719 web downloads). Some of our videos and mp3s have also been posted on Learn Japanese, such as the ALT Rap, which debuted there and has gotten over 5,000 downloads on Learn Japanese alone. On this homepage we have 17 podcasts with over 100 downloads each, and one perched at 99 downloads, and all except one are video. Here's our TOP 20: 1. ALT Rap - 286, 2. Loop Line #1 - 257, 3. Nabe Party - 243, 4. Loop Line #2 - 159, 5. Cerezo vs Frontale - 142, 6. Loop Line #4 - 134, 7. Postcard from Tokyo - 130, 8. Tin's Hall - 126, 9. Tubcast #1 - 124, 9. Alex's Room Cleaning - 124, 11. Who is Rob? - 118, 11. How To Pick Up Girls- 118, 13. What's Your Favorite Word? - 115, 14. Postcard from China #1 - 114, 15. Panorama Art Show Party - 113, 16. Loop Line #3 - 110, 17. World Cup: Reality Check - 105, 18. Cafe Barbes - 99, 19. Icitte Les Oeufs... - 93, 20. Postcard from Fiji - 93. Alex, how are our collaborations looking over on Learn Japanese?

Here's the severely edited Revver version of World Cup: Reality Check, which, after being posted on Libsyn, You Tube and MySpace, was rejected by Revver via what I assume was an automatic e-mail response, probably well written by their legal team, which makes me wanna don an eyepatch and devote the rest of my life to all out PIRACY. Did they actually watch my video, or did their computers red flag my tag words "WORLD CUP?" I googled the words "Revver," "knee" and "jerk" and came up with some stuff about intellectual property at iCommons which lead me to an article on Alternative Law Forums... Oh no! Could it be I'm developing yet another online interest?

Makiko, Masami, William and myself, reserved at table at Bar Grain, a couple blocks from JR Iidabashi Station, for a 10:00 p.m. kickoff. We watched Japan take the lead in the first half against Australia, only to get pummled (sp?) in the final minutes 1-3. It was a humbling beginning for The Blues, who were already counting the three points a team is rewarded for a victory (1 point for a draw and 0 for a loss). Then it was back home for the night to catch the U.S. vs Czech Republic match, which I was hoping would have a bit closer scoreline. Ouch! By now everyone knows the results, but please watch the video anyway. I had fun making it! Posted by Rob.

check out Amazon Ecolounge which promises to be a great event featuring live painting Djs music and more. It's being held at the DRAPEAUX bldg, "WHY YOU ARE HRE" in Minami semba on 17th June 3pm to 8pm. 1500 gets you in and a drink. For more details you can contact Walderedo at waljah@hotmail.com. 今週土曜日（１７日１５時ー２ï¼?時ã?¾ã?§ï¼‰å?—船場ã?®"WHY YOU ARE HERE"DRAPEAUX bldg, ã?§Amazon Ecoloungeã?¨ã?„ã?†ã‚¤ãƒ™ãƒ³ãƒˆã?Œè¡Œã‚?ã‚Œã?¾ã?™ã€‚ Walderedo Oliveiraã?®ç™ºé€? ã?«ã‚ˆã‚‹å¤§é˜ªã?®DJã€?ライブペインティングã?ªã?©ã?®é?¢ç™½ã?„イベントã?§ã?™ã€‚是é?žè¡Œã?£ã?¦ã?¿ã?¦ ã??ã? ã?•ã?„。 入場料：１５ï¼?ï¼?円（フリードリンク付ã??） 詳細ã?«ã?¤ã?„ã?¦ã?¯Walderedo ã?¸ waljah@hotmail.com。

Two of the world's least likely football (soccer) commentators Rob and Alex tackle the World Cup and other topics related to life in Osaka, Tokyo and Japan.

Yeah, it's World Cup time again. It's pretty amazing, but some Americans actually seem to know it's happening this time around. I've lived in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, France, Spain, Haiti and now Japan, so I always have a team or two to cheer for when the USA get knocked out, but this time I thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to cheer for my home country a little bit longer... US Soccer.com

12 Osakans living in exile in Tokyo met up last Friday night for a bit of horumon yaki「ホルモン焼�or grilled beef parts such as tongue and tripe. It was surprisingly high quality meat, and most of it was quite easy to chew. I've certainly had much much worse! You can subscribe to this podcast and download it on iTunes, and you can also watch this video on Revver or on You Tube. Make sure you also listen this short mp3 we recorded in Ebisu Station while meeting up before the party.　

Posted by Rob.

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We were invited to a fun house party at Flo-Union organizer David Roy's place in Shoto, near Shibuya, on 28 May 2006. Everyone brought the fixin's for hand-rolled sushi. You can download this video and/or subscribe to us on iTunes. You can also see a slightly longer edit of this video on Revver and on You Tube.

Posted by Rob.

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For more information in English or 日本語 contact Charles Billard at charles_billard@hotmail.com.

...and alhtough Alex Brooke's Learn Japanese podcast is intended for more mature audiences (as is this homepage and its podcasts), they've used some of Alex's music available on the Podsafe Network. Check them out at Podkids Australia, and hear what Alex's music sounds like in a transcultural newscast! Cheers Podkids! I'm not a musician but it's always interesting to see who's playing our ALT Rap, or some of his solo stuff. Umbra from Japan played Alex on his #4 podcast. Awhile back I was quite impressed when Alex had his umeboshi mix used on Max's podcast about Judo on Radio Ayohui in Queretaro, Mexico. Now it might seem pretty common place, and I don't think he is too surprised anymore, but as you can tell I am! By the way, on this the 6th of June, 2006, we at NFTOS are by no way influenced by hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. Flag borrowed from ANZAC Day website. Posted by Rob.

Here's an mp3 file we recorded at JR Ebisu Station, on the Yamanote Line, which is kind of like Tokyo's version of the JR Loop Line in Osaka. We recorded video footage which is now posted. You can also watch it above, on Revver or on You Tube. Posted by Rob.

We just had a few glasses of the Robert Mondavi and suddenly we lost the plot. Why isn't alcohol a class A drug ? By the way we had the 2004 Merlot, very fruity and delicious.

Posted by Alex.

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Damn that Will Spin! He's just too talented. Here's his new Japan Rail song using samples from JR announcements, including one from Tennoji Station (providing easy access to Tin's Hall). You can check out his DJ mixes on Bike Club Osaka (and kickass mixes by quite a few other Osaka DJs as well!). Thanks for the song Will! Photo provided by Will (suspicioulsy reminiscent of James Russell's photography style). This post by Alex and Rob.

Jerry Gordon arrived in Osaka on 4 June 1994--Year of the Dog. Anyone on the Osaka art or performance scenes in the past 12 years has probably at least heard of him. Most recently, he was one of the directors of this year's [re]GARB event. I first started seeing his name pop up associated with the Voicebox poetry event. Check out some of his writing at moontriangle and at softlogicmonkey, and this musical collaboration with Charles Billard called Smouldering Door. Anyway, Sunday is 4 June 2006--Year of the Dog. To commemorate the completion of this calendar cycle, he says "I'm going to play music and read poetry and generally howl my thanks to the streets of Osaka for all of you folks who I have met and become friends with." The performance will run from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., on Sunday, 4 June 2006. It will happen in a narrow alley between two Yodoyobashi office buildings. Jerry describes the place as "a beautiful little urban canyon." The event is free, but please bring something to eat, drink and sit on. And, bring your own glass if you want to drink some Dog to Dog whiskey. If it's raining; the event is cancelled. Directions: From Yodoyobashi Station (Midosuji Subway / Red Line) go out either exit 9 or 12. The alley is one block south of Exit 9 and one block north of Exit 12. Posted by Rob.

Here's our third song from John Hayden, a.k.a. Quest, who currently lives . John, do you have any comments you'd like posted with this song, or artwork you'd like the people to see? Please mail them to me. And go enjoy a cup of coffee at The Mill for me would ya? Thanks! -Rob

This is our first song by Smouldering Door who are Jerry Gordon and Charles-Eric Billard. According to Charles, it's about "the bearable lightness of the the living daylight..." Those of you who know Jerry, are probably aware that the Year of the Dog is Jerry's 12-year anniversary since arriving in Japan. Jerry will be celebrating his 12 years (one full astrological cycle) with an outdoor party of urban poetry, improv and performance art (see From Dog to Dog). Also, Charles is organizing a tunnel party on 25 June. He says it's going to be big--at least 13 artists will participate. Charles, could you please send me a photo or a graphic for this post? Some more info about the tunnel party would be great too. -Rob

Late last summer, 19 September 2005 to be exact, a bunch of us went to a "Mexican Fiesta" under the Umeda Sky Building (which you can see in the Loop Line #2 and ALT Rap videos). At the fiesta, we ate prized dishes that are hard to come by in Osaka, bought CDs, straw hats and t-shirts. What I like most about this video is that it is old skool Alex Brooke at its best! Collaging mobile phone stills and video with editing tools he was just figuring out how to use. Blending English, Portuguese and Spanish text without blinking. It ain't pretty, but it's pretty funny, don't you think? Well, maybe you just had to be there. Oh, and sorry 'bout the obscene gesture--didn't think it was going to end up in a movie! Posted by Rob.

We've tried out MySpace and You Tube, and now there's this thing called Revver. Hey, anything for more exposure!

Now that News From The Other Side has opened up a new office in Tokyo, we'll be getting the low down on the latest and greatest in the capital. We're hoping to get some more audio ramblings for you lovely people soon so you can keep tabs on what the hell's going on in Osaka, Tokyo and beyond. What did we talk about? What didn't we talk about! Posted by Alex and Rob.

Hans and Jim wrap up Cinco de Mayo festivities* and prepare to go out birdwatching at night and all day the next day which would've been 6 May...!? Honestly, I don't really get it either. *(Aparently Cinco de Mayo is getting really big in America and they're talking about making it a national holiday someday). Other stuff about Hans or by him: http://newsfromtheotherside.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=90494 ... I'll post his other links soon, but for now, just have a look around NFTOS and you'll find him several times! This post is by Rob.

"Here's the Quest remix of the ALT Rap. I don't consider it an improvement. Just new packaging. Make sure to give the special thanks and acknowledgments required when you post it. And some art is attached. It's one of my crappy little speakers. Hope it sounds better on yours! Have a good one. -Johnny a.k.a. Quest" OK! Are those some Nabe Party samples I hear in there Johnny? Link to all versions of the ALT Rap on MySpace. Vocals by Rob. Credit for the lyrics go to John Sanders and Rob, and for the recording of the vocal track to Alex. Posted by Rob

This is the already infamous ALT rap. It was kicked off the JET Program's ALT forum, but has managed well over 5000 downloads for the video on this site and on Learn Japanese (and no telling how many downloads on other sites). Shout out to Bike Club Osaka for giving us encouragement and helping us generate interest in Osaka in the early going. There have been requests for the just the vocal track--um, are you sure?--so here's a link to that: ALT Rap vocals only. All versions are also on MySpace. Feel free to samlpe, mix, whatever. Just make sure that credit for the lyrics go to John Sanders and Rob Holbrook, and for the music to Alex Brooke. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu! Posted by Rob.

Café Vélo (a mixi community) was an idea Alex Brooke and I came up with sometime around October of last year. Until then, Alex had been blogging on Kansai Underground and dabbling in audio podcasts on the Beb & Alex Show, while I had been blogging on my MSN Community (until erroneously deleting the whole thing late one night). I believe our earliest Café Vélo experiments were hosted on the nascent Learn Japanese Pod. We wanted to hang out and do audio podcasts in cafes that could be easily reached by bicycle. Each show would feature a new Osaka location and special guests. We would discuss upcoming events, art, music, food, culture, the menu, etc. Here are four links, while I try to track down media to upload from my laptop. Intro: What is Café Vélo?, Broadcast #1 @ Café Kiti, Broadcast #2 @ Café Absinthe, Broadcast #3 @ IMP McDonald's, and Broadcast #4 @ Café Absinthe VIDEO. Click below for a previously unreleased Café Vélo archival recording (23-Oct-2005) featuring Alex, Wakako and me at Amanto in Nakazaki-cho, Osaka.

Graphic by Rob.
Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Café Vélo

El Gringo is a World Cup freak, so here's an apology in advance for the next six weeks of blogging. In the U.S. "football" has almost always meant something else, and most certainly always will--it's a cultural thing. But these days it seems like soccer is finally crossing over into the mainstream. To most Europeans and South Americans, the U.S. might still be considered underdogs, but... Well, just check out the video "Don't Tread" by U.S. National Team midfielder Clint Dempsey with Houston rappers XO and the late BIG HAWK. I first saw it on US Soccer.com where there are heaps of soccer vids. Posted by Rob.

So, now you can download us and subscribe to us on iTunes, and Alex has his songs on the Podsafe Network, then both of us have stuff on My Space, and now there's "YOU TUBE!" Posted by Rob.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't wanna diss Tokyo (yet). It's just that Covent Garden called me the other day to ask if I was still going to do an event I'd been scheduled to do in Osaka before I up and moved here, and then there's Oasis Lounge is hosting this event, Modest, which promises to be a lot of fun! I don't know the special guest DJ on the right of the flyer, but I believe those are cutouts of (L-R) Matt Duffy (a.k.a. DJ TripleByPass), DJ Joey and DJ Dimitri (owner-manager of Cafe Absinthe). Also, Oasis ownder Dan, bartender Shawn and Osaka house music icon I-Bec are all known to keep their music on hand and are apt to jump in unannounced from time to time. So, without a doubt, Osaka will be hoppin' this weekend! And, if you can't make it into town, then you can do like I'll be trying to do and tuning into Modest through the Oasis downloads page, providing you can figure out how to use eDonkey. Meanwhile, here in Tokyo, I have made some contacts on the DJ & music scene, but no gigs yet. On the career front, I just had my first job interview (the fish are nibblin' but not bitin' yet). Flyer expertly designed by TripleByPass and Will Spin. This post by Rob.

The gang hangs out at David M's place back in January. David gets bored while two get sleepy and two get tipsy. Finally, an ex-girlfriend's wasuremono「忘れ物�provides amusement for all! . Alex's Matrix routine later became a Japanese lesson. Let's enjoy eating delicious nabe! 食���ょ��

Posted by Rob.

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This is a "jikoshoukai" or self-introduction Makiko did in Japanese for Alex's language podcast Learn Japanese. Filmed and edited by Rob. -r

This just in from my father (sorry for associating your good name with this homepage, Dad) about my brother, who is a birdwatcher / amateur ornithologist: "Hans just called to give yesterday's report from Cape May, New Jersey. Its his second year in the WSB (World Series of Birding) representing the Maryland Ornithological Society. The competition is divided up into various categories, he has participated in the Cape May County listing along with 3 other "young turks" of the Maryland birding community. This is the second year the MOS has sponsored this team rather than the traditional "duffers". Last year the young turks came in second by 2 or 3 birds and the perennial winning team that is New Jersey based were worried that they might get beat in the near future. This year after a day of careful scouting, and going from just after midnight to 11:30 pm (nearly 24 hours) they racked up 179 species and in spite of missing several key rarities and having a very poor migration pattern, they took first place by 10 species even beating last year's first place by 2 species! It is the first time in over 10 years that the MOS has taken the trophy--so guess who's hyped up today? He said he was on his way to the awards meeting now and commented "so now we'll have to stand up in front everyone and receive the trophy" as though that was the hardest part of the whole adventure!" Links: 1. WSB winner rankings by category (fourth group listed). 2. Winner Cape May County (see 13th line on the list). Footnote: After cleaning out their vehicle, Hans says he found 28 "energy drink" containers (ranging from 24 oz. cups of coffee, to 16 oz. Rock Stars, to 8-10 oz. Red Bulls, Cokes, Dr Peppers, etc). On Monday he called in sick, says he has a terrible headache. Dehydration? -r

One of my earliest art inspirators, Wendy Jane Bantam, is having a show opening this weekend at Kiechel Fine Art Gallery, 34th & Old Cheney, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Drinks afterwards at Lazlo's, 56th and Old Cheney. You might not be able to make the opening, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to give her a shout out and to give you a couple links to her works. Introducing the artwork of Wendy Jane Bantam. This post is by Rob.

Rolf & Carys recently visited Osaka, and here is a little glimpse of Japan as seen through their lens. I'll have a photo for this post in the morning. Something happened to the banner art again as well. Oops! Sorry 'bout that Alex. I should stay out of the settings. This post is by Rob.

Who is Rob ? Find out here...

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in Kawasaki City, Saitama Prefecture and the visiting team, Cerezo Osaka, were as appalling as usual. This time, Makiko and I caught them at a stadium with puzzling kanji characters. And, I forgot to ask a local to help us pronounce the stadium's name. Kawasaki is home to the J-League's equally appalling Frontale. After the game, we stopped by The Pink Cow, which I hadn't been inside yet. The video is about 4 minutes long. This post is by Rob.

This is a couple of segments from the evening I DJ'ed with Ryosuke and Satoshi at Cafe Pangea in Sakai City 29 April 2006. It was a good evening. Thanks to Satoshi and Saori for the ride and to Makiko, Yuka, Charles and his friend for coming from so far away!

ツãƒ?フマズã?¯ã‚­ãƒŽã‚³ã?®ãƒ†ãƒ¼ãƒžã?®èŠ¸è¡“展示会ã?§ã?™ã€‚今日ãƒ?ャルズã?¨ä¸€ç·’ã?«è¦‹ã?«è¡Œã??ã?¾ã?—ã?Ÿã€‚是é?žè¡Œã?£ã?¦è¦‹ã?¦ã??ã? ã?•ã?„。地下鉄谷町線ã?®ï¼‘番出å?£ã‚’出ã?¦åŒ—野病院方å?‘ã?¸ã€?JR環状線高架沿ã?„ã?«å?³ã?«å…¥ã‚Šã?™ã??。中崎町駅より１分程度。（音楽ã?Œã‚­ãƒŽã‚³ã?½ã??ã?ªã?„？）

Charles and I got together today to make some music. What is this music about? What is it for? Only you know the answer. Posted by Alex.

This is a link to a piece on digital music that Alex wrote for the folks at Bike Club Osaka... "With millions of people sharing music digitally and many millions more to come what is happening to music ? Is the record contract dead ? Is the music industry in trouble or onto something bigger and better?" Read more.  This post by Rob.

A message from Waka from Wakayama...and Alex too.

When Alex and I were helping Charles move into his place over in Tani 9, Osaka, I saw this old collage of paper that had been in a show Charles did with another Osaka artist, Gareth Jones, a couple years back. It's called "Collective Memory" as it was made from scraps of paper collected between 2001 and 2004. He informed me it is on sale for 16,000 yen. While you're scraping together funds, you can listen to a bunch of his music over in the music folder or watch his videos over in the music video or places folders. I recommend starting with his first China video.

Posted by Rob.

P.S. For the same video set to music by Quest a.k.a. Hayden, click here.

This is another video from my brother Hans who just got back from a birdwatching tour of the Colorado Rockies. Hans says, "We went on a run to see all of Colorado's chicken-like birds doing mating displays on their breeding grounds." Which, to birdwatchers means something. For the rest of you out there, this video segment features snow, an impass due to snow and more snow! Stay tuned as the saga unfolds! To be continued... Posted by Rob

My next-to-last gig in Osaka (before moving to Tokyo) will be at Cafe Pangea by the marina in Sakai City. Please come! The afternoon will feature "Radio Tapestry," DJ Satoshi, DJ Ryosuke Takeuchi and me, "El Gringo." It'll all get started around noon and continue till around 11:00 p.m., so plenty of time for last train. 「La Terrazzaã€? @ Cafe Pangeaã€?2006.04.29（sat/ç¥?日）・・・通常営業。DJs: Misu Satoshi, Takeuchi Ryosuke & 「El Gringoã€?。 営業時間オールDJタイム。 心地よã?„カフェタイムを演出。 今回ã?¯ã€?休日ã?®å?ˆå¾Œã?«ãƒ©ã‚¸ã‚ªã?‹ã‚‰ç¹°ã‚Šè¿”ã?—æµ?ã‚Œã?¦ã?„ã?Ÿã? ã‚?ã?†å??曲ã?Ÿã?¡ã‚’å¼¾ã??語りã?§ã?Šå±Šã?‘ã?™ã‚‹ã€ŒRadio Tapestryã€?ã?¨ã?®åˆ?コラボレーション。 ã?‚ã?ªã?Ÿã?®å¿«é?©ã‚«ãƒ•ã‚§ã‚¿ã‚¤ãƒ ã‚’ã?Šæ‰‹ä¼?ã?„。 ã‚‚ã?¡ã‚?ã‚“ 入場料ã?ªã?©ã?¯ã?‚ã‚Šã?¾ã?›ã‚“。 通常営業ã?§ã?™ã€‚ 春ã?®é€±æœ«ã‚’ パンゲアã?§jazzyã?ªå¿ƒåœ°ã‚ˆã?„音楽ã?¨ã?¨ã‚‚ã?«é?Žã?”ã?—ã?¦ã?¿ã?¦ã?¯ã?„ã?‹ã?Œã?§ã?—ょã?†ã?‹ã€‚ La Terrazzaã?®å?ˆé–“ã?«ã€?4月ã?®Radio Tapestryã?Œé–‹å‚¬ã?•ã‚Œã?¾ã?™ã€‚ 2Stage→→14:30/16:30。Radio Tapestry are vocals カトウトモコ（La Turbo) and piano ヨダナオミ (dada)。

So you had too much to drink and got a tattoo ? Find out what the Chinese characters on your arm really mean here. All credit goes to artist and designer Stan Fairbank who is collaborating with Learn Japanese to make these great videos for learning Kanji. You can check out his excellent website at www.endless.com

Hans was up in the Colorado Rockies for a week looking for ptarmigan and whatever other rare birds he and his buddies (I think he mentioned Jim Brighton on the phone) could find up on Guanella Pass. Thanks for adding to our video collection of exotic faraway places bro! Posted by Rob.

BULA! Andrew, Claire, Makiko and Rob find themselves on Waya Island, Fiji, for Andrew's birthday and New Year's 2006. All four are original members of the News From The Other Side art & culture community. Andrew and Claire eat frequent flyer miles for breakfast everyday. Both are accomplished linguists and photographers. I'll post their links soon. Filmed by Makiko. Edited by Makiko and Rob. Post by Rob. WARNING: PARTIAL NUDITY.

Makiko films Rob and Yo discussing Murphy's Pub on the way home. Did it suck? Or did Yo suck? Who is Yo? Yo has been a buddy of mine since we met in Nebraska in 1997! We've played on the same soccer and futsal clubs, although, he has always been much better at both. We've also painted together from time to time. He introduced me to my favorite oil for oil painting--walnut oil. He is currently working on a Masters in art at UNLV. His sculptures are amazing! I'll post a link for him soon... Makiko has been making a lot of short videos lately (...). She has also been recycling old clothes by quilting, producing kilos of homemade soap and baking dozens of bagels. Photo shot at Calibre Cafe, in Shinsaibashi, before going to Murphy's. Posted by Rob.

There is one place to be in Osaka this weekend, and unfortunately I won't be there 'cos I've got a ride to Tokyo which I'll be taking advantage of to move some of my stuff up there (Yes, the rumor is true, I'll be moving 1 May. But, if I were in town tonight (it's Saturday at the time of this post) I'd be at the hottest DJ lineup in town: CHERRY BOMB! If you for some reason you're not sure about crawling out from whatever rock you've been hiding under, you can check out all their mixes on the Bike Club DJ Mixes Master Post (except for Dimitri, but I'll vouch for him). Posted by Rob.

Pick up a girl 70s style.

Posted by Alex.

Subscribe to Alex's solo podcast, Prapatang Living, on iTunes

The Trenchparrots. This will be the last Trenchparrots song for awhile... Norv is playing the music and singing a song that I dictated the lyrics for between dozing off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. It was taking him awhile to compose, so I was napping. I'd wake up and listen to a bit of music, mumble some lyrics and fall back to sleep. Quality work though, isn't it? A photo will be posted later. Posted by Rob.

Today will be my last Cafe Absinthe DJ event before I move to Tokyo. As usual, I'll be starting at 9:00 p.m. NO COVER CHARGE. 今日�夜９時�らCafe Absinthe�ＤＪ�����京�引�越���最後�ＤＪ�� （他�場所����やり��）���も通り�NO COVER CHARGE.

The Trenchparrots. "Footprints" was our second "release" from 1994. Part of the lyrics by Lis. Photo by Norville Parchment. Posted by Rob.

Who is Alex Brooke, REALLY? To find out, stay tuned and win lots of PRIZES!!

This is a video about painting at Guido & Kaori's studio in Kizugawa, not far from Taisho (see Loop Line #1 video). The video was shot by Alex who used a cell phone camera and it shows me displaying my new poster art for the outdoor event which replaced "September Sky" and was renamed "Groove Harvest" in 2005. The making of the Groove Harvest poster is archived on the The Beb & Alex Show homepage. Posted by Rob.

This song was done in one take late one night in the spring of 1994. One reason it was done in one take is that it really did my voice in. Another reason was that we couldn't stop laughing after the first take. I think we might have tried two or three times in all, but the first version stuck. I'd be curious to hear Norv's version of the story. Suzanne dear, please sign us to your record label like you did for DNA and don't sue us! Posted by Rob.

This all but forgotten ditty should dust off some shelves in a few small collective memory closets. The spring of 1994 was a giddy time for some of us. Fake Brit accents were a sign of... I'm not quite sure what. The world may not have been ready for this, and it might never be! Re-introducing The Trenchparrots!! Norv and I had nothing better to do, so in one coffee-induced hyperactive all night recording session, we used his keyboard, a mac and a 4-track reel-reel recorder to produce this two-track masterpiece, and a couple others. I'll release more Trenchparrots songs, if we don't lose all our subscribers after this post! Osaka cherry blossom photo by Rob. Posted by Rob.

After an eternity of half sleep, the orange princess awakes and stares in quiet desperation at her records. Not only does she have to worrry about what to wear but also what to play tonight. Her records almost seem to compete for her attention to be played. "Take me, take me" says the 80s remixes, "no, forget him I'm going to rock the floor" says her house mixes. And all the while the growingly fatigued orange princess starts to lose another hair as all the records start to blur and become one incomprehensible mess in her mind. Zing and the throbing expectant masses await the orange princess in the small hours of the morning. Can she deliver ? Will the people be happy ? Of course ! It's the orange princess. Catch the Orange Princess (a.k.a. DJ SACHIKO) at ZING TONIGHT!!

Is the bar moving? El Gringo administers eclectic and edgy tunes to make you keep one eye on your baggage while the other eye scans the excellent food and drinks served up on the anaconda skin that runs the entire length of the bar counter top! Check your inhibitions at the door. TERMINAL JET LAG: El Gringo & amigos @ TIME TABLE CAFE. April 8th, Saturday, from 9:00 p.m. till 1:00 or 2:00 a.m., or everyone leaves. NO COVER CHARGE. 今日ã€?夜9時ã?‹ã‚‰TIME TABLEã?§DJã?—ã?¾ã?™ã€‚æ?¥ã?¦ä¸‹ã?•ã?„ï¼? JR桃谷駅ã?‹ã‚‰å¯ºç”°ç”ºé§…ã?¸å?‘ã?‹ã?£ã?¦æ­©ã?„ã?¦ (400m / 5分ã??らã?„)。高架下ã?«ã?‚ã‚Šã?¾ã?™ã€‚店ã?¯æ˜¼2時ã?‹ã‚‰å¤œ1時ã?¾ã?§ã€‚木曜日やã?™ã?¿ã€‚電話番å?· 06-6779-1719。Photo stolen from Mimi. ...Directions: TIME TABLE is near JR Momodani Station. Walk exactly 400 meters along the inside of the Loop Line (clockwise) toward Teradacho station. you'll find the cafe under the tracks at the Katsuyama-dori intersection. I'll start at 9:00 p.m. and probably play till 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. Y'all come on down now, you hear? Photo stolen from Mimi. Want a listen first? Direct downloads: El Gringo @ Laba Laba 22.09.2004 & Mind Mangle Part 1 @ Oasis 12.11.2005 at Bike Club Osaka.

Here are an "automatic drawing" and an mp3 by an old buddy of mine that I've known since 1990! John Hayden lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is a jack-of-all-media. Some of the samples on the mp3 track are from previous NFTOS podcasts, including News from the Tub, and Loop Line #3. He thinks we should check out Hippocamp Ruins @ fredoviola.com. Posted by Rob.

This is an idea Beb had which turned out really well. Both Alex and I had something else in mind when we started, so it was a pleasant surprise to see what Beb came up with. Filming and editing by Beb. Photo by Rob. Post by Rob. Water! / The Beb and Alex Show

Listen as Alex, BEB & myself tackle a new vocabulary word and its use on Alex's i日本語 (i-nihongo) / Learn Japanese podcast. It's always fun recording with these two! Recording and dragon doodle by Alex. This post by Rob.

This is a Japanese language podcast from BEB's audio blog that she uses to rant (j/k) on various topics which interest her. In this particular episode she is talking about garbage, pollution and recycling in Japan. This post by Rob. 一人一人�心���地中�救�れる�も？�れ���。 BEB! Goody! Goody! homepage.

There's going to be a Brazilian art & music "festa" tomorrow afternoon at Chove Chuva in Higobashi, Osaka. Chove Chuva is a cafe and music store that specializes in all genres of Brazilian music. It is the unofficial home to several local bands and live performances are hosted there weekly. Chove Chuva is just north of Utsubo Park. The best way to get there is from exit #7 of Higobashi Station. From there, walk south along Yotsubashi Street past the Ehime Prefecture Tourism Center and East China Airlines. Turn right at the light just after Yoshinoya Restaurant and walk two blocks past Loco George's Second Hand Goods. Take your first left. Chove Chuva is upstairs from Earth Cafe. You can't miss the Brazilian flag waving from the second floor. Enjoy music from DJs Hitomi Nova, El Gringo, Wes, Dainari, Tatsumi and others! Poster art by Peter Morris. The following message in Japanese is from DJ Hitomi Nova: ã?¤ã?„ã?«ï¼?ã?¤ã?„ã?«è‡ªåˆ†ã?Œã‚ªãƒ¼ã‚¬ãƒŠã‚¤ã‚ºã?™ã‚‹ã‚¤ãƒ´ã‚§ãƒ³ãƒˆã‚’スタートã?•ã?›ã?¾ã?™ï¼?ï¼? 希望ã?¯ã€?３ヶ月ã?«ï¼‘回ã?®ãƒšãƒ¼ã‚¹ã?§ã€‚ ＤＪ経験もã?‚ã‚“ã?¾ã‚Šç„¡ã?„ã??ã?›ã?«ã€?大丈夫ã?ªã?®ã?‹ï¼?？ ã?£ã?¦ã€?ã?Šè©±ã?ªã‚“ã?§ã?™ã?Œã€?ã?ªã‚“ã?¨ã?‹ã?ªã‚‹ã?§ã?—ょã?†ã€‚ ã?„ã‚„ã€?ã?¡ã?Œã?†ã?¡ã?Œã?†ã€‚　やã?£ã?¦ã?¿ã?›ã?¾ã?™ï¼?ï¼? ※今後一緒ã?«å‡ºæ¼”ã?—ã?¦ã??ã? ã?•ã‚‹ï¼¤ï¼ªã?•ã‚“を募集中ã?§ã?™ã?®ã?§ã€?我ã?“ã??ã?¯ï¼?ã?¨ã?„ã?†æ–¹ã?¯ãƒ¡ãƒƒã‚»ãƒ¼ã‚¸ä¸‹ã?•ã?„ï¼? ç§?ã?Œå¤§å¥½ã??ã?ªå ´æ‰€ã€?CHOVE CHUVA。 西区ã?®ã?†ã?¤ã?¼å…¬åœ’ã?«éš£æŽ¥ã?—ã?Ÿè—¤åŽŸãƒ“ルã?®ï¼’Ｆã?«ã?‚ã‚‹ã€?居心地ã?®è‰¯ã?„カフェ兼ブラジルＣＤショップ。 公園ã?®å„ªã?—ã?„ç·‘ã€?å£?一é?¢ã?®çª“ã‚’é–‹ã?‘ã‚Œã?°ã€?季節ã?®é¢¨ã?Œå…¥ã?£ã?¦ã??る。 常時良ã?„音楽ã?Œæµ?ã‚Œã?¦ã?„ã?¦ã€?本格ブラジルコーヒーやã€?ジュースを飲ã‚?ã?¦ã€?時間を忘れる程ã?®ã‚“ã?³ã‚Šã?¨é?Žã?”ã?›ã‚‹å ´æ‰€ã€‚　 争ã?„ã?Œçµ¶ã?ˆã?ªã?„世界ã?§ã€?å°‘ã?—ã?§ã‚‚ã€?ã??ã?“ã?«å±…る人é?”ã?Œå¿ƒä¸€ã?¤ã?«ã€?幸ã?›ã?ªæ°—æŒ?ã?¡ã?«ã?ªã‚Œã‚‹ãƒ”ースã?ªå ´æ‰€ãƒ»ç©ºé–“を作れã?Ÿã‚‰ãƒ»ãƒ»ãƒ»ã€‚ ã?¨æ€?ã?„ã€?始ã‚?る事ã?«ã?—ã?¾ã?—ã?Ÿã€‚ 「ＡＬＥＧＲＩＡï¼?ï¼?ã€? ãƒ?ルトガル語ã?§ã€?å–œã?³ãƒ»å¹¸ã?›ã?¨ã?„ã?†è¬‚。ã?“れをイヴェントå??ã?«ã?—ã?¾ã?™ã€‚ 尊敬ã?™ã‚‹ï¼¬ï¼¡ï¼¶ï¼¡ã?•ã‚“ã?®ï¼‘ＳＴ「ＡＩＲＥ ＡＬＥＧＲＩＡ(幸ã?›ãƒ»å–œã?³ã?®ç©ºæ°—)ã€?ã?‹ã‚‰ãƒ’ントを頂ã??ã?¾ã?—ã?Ÿã€‚ 今回ã?¯å?‹äººã?®ï¼¤ï¼ª ロブã?®é€?別会も兼ã?­ã‚‹ã?®ã?§ã€?ＶＯＬ．ï¼?ã?¨ã?—ã?¦ã€?入場ã?¯ç„¡æ–™ã?¨ã?ªã‚Šã?¾ã?™ï¼? (店主ã€?カナミã?•ã‚“ã?®ã?”好æ„?ã?«æ„Ÿè¬?致ã?—ã?¾ã?™ï¼?) ※１ＤＲ ５ï¼?ï¼?円を入りå?£ã?§é ‚戴ã?—ã?¾ã?™ã?®ã?§ã€?ã?”了承下ã?•ã?„ã?¾ã?›ã€‚ ★４月２日(æ—¥)　ＰＭ３：ï¼?ï¼?〜　「ＡＬＥＧＲＩＡï¼?ï¼?ã€? ＠ブラジルＣＤショップ「ショヴィ・シュヴァã€? ＤＪｓ：hitomi nova, EL GRINGO, wes, DAINARI, tatsumi…and more! 大阪市西区京町堀1-13-2藤原ビル2F 電車：地下鉄四ã?¤æ©‹ç·šã€€è‚¥å¾Œæ©‹7番 or 本町28番出å?£ã‚ˆã‚Šå¾’æ­©5分 電話：06-6225-3003 ブラジリアンã€?ラテンã?ªã‚¸ãƒ£ã‚ºã€?ãƒ?ウスã€?ニュー・ジャズã€?ç­‰ 様々ã?ªéŸ³æ¥½ã?Œç››ã‚Šã? ã??ã?•ã‚“ï¼? ã?Šæ˜¼ã?‹ã‚‰ã?®ãƒ‘ーティã?§ã?™ã?®ã?§ã€?クラブã?«è¡Œã?£ã?Ÿäº‹ã?Œã?ªã?„人やã€?抵抗ã?Œã?‚る方もã€?ã??ã?£ã?¨æ¥½ã?—ã‚“ã?§é ‚ã?‘ã?¾ã?™ã‚ˆï¼? フードã?®ã?¿ã€?æŒ?ã?¡è¾¼ã?¿å¤§æ­“è¿Žï¼?ï¼?ã?©ã?ªã?Ÿæ§˜ã‚‚ã?Šæ°—軽ã?«ã?”æ?¥åº—ã??ã? ã?•ã?„ï¼?ï¼?(ã?Ÿã??ã?•ã‚“ã?Šå?‹é?”を誘ã?£ã?¦é?Šã?³ã?«æ?¥ã?¦ä¸‹ã?•ã?„ï¼?) 皆ã?§é¨’ã?„ã?§ã€?ピースフルã?ªæ¥½ã?—ã?„一日をé?Žã?”ã?—ã?¾ã?—ょã?†ï¼?ï¼? ＣＨＯＶＥ ＣＨＵＶＡã?®ã‚³ãƒŸãƒ¥ãƒ‹ãƒ†ã‚£ã?¯ã‚³ãƒ?ラ

Makiko makes her own quilts, bagels, cloth buttons, pickles and the BEST HOMEMADE SOAP yet! And this is a song about it by Alex. Posted by Rob.

Here are the lyrics...Like a possessed demon, Makiko furiously kneeds bagel mix with her tireless hands. The clock rotates faster and faster as time and space warp and become meaningless, only the bagels matter, they will be created soon because the soap has to be finished. The bagels go into her massive oven and Makiko only has a few seconds to change into her industrial bio-chemical hazard suit and blow torch mask. She pulls hard on a heavy metal chain that lifts a vat of sulphuric acid up and over a larger vat filled with olive oil, rose petals, bats wings and the skull of a goat. Makiko chants the ancient words, "prapatang, prapatang..." and she slowly tilts the bubbling liquid into the steaming vat. The floor boards creak and and Rob trembles with fear from the observation station. Only a week ago he was teaching English to socially mal-adjusted business men. Now with a generous grant from the Emperor, he and Makiko have been charged with the creation of the highest quality soap and bagels for the land of the rising sun. Suddenly the chain breaks, melted goats skull, bat wings, a million liters of sulphuric acid ooze over the oven, half baked bagels, newspapers and dirty laundry. The ooze becomes self aware and burns through the wall and floors into the street. Flames engulf Waseda and the ground shakes under the weight of the mighty beast Makiko has created. Eventually the ooze cools and solidifies, the flames die down and Rob and Makiko carefully peer out of the window at the dead monster. Makiko gingerly climbs over the wreckage down to her creation. She dips a finger in as Rob gasps in terror. But all is well. Makiko speaks "this is the best soap I have made yet".

Here's a video that was shot all over Osaka, from Umeda to JR Namba Station. Someone handed the video on a disk to a bartender who knows the Bike Club Osaka crew with the instructions "this is for Bike Club." Pretty cool. I want people to start handing us DVDs and saying "this is for NFTOS." Check it out: Osaka Skaters

Today we making egg.

Subscribe to our food channel, Prapatang Kitchen, on iTunes

Now that we have been at this for about 3 months and surpassed the 3000-hit mark, we take you down memory lane into pre-NFTOS vlog history to a wintery night back in 2005 at Cafe Absinthe

Here is part two of Charles Billard's China video filmed in Dali, Suzhuo and Kuming in 2005. More videos from Charles coming soon!

Alex has been spotted around town with an as yet unidentified female whom he insists is "just a friend." We'll keep you informed of any further developments...

Our heroes continue from where they left off at Noda-Hanshin Station (not on the Loop Line) to Fukushima (not Shin-Fukushima as we mistakenly stated in the video), JR Osaka and Tenma stations. Alex demonstrates his bike handling skills while operating a camera, as Rob navigates through the labyrinth of Umeda. Final Destination: Next Stop: Sakuranomiya. While you're waiting for Loop Line #5 to be edited and posted, check out Will Spin's new D'n'B song using samples from JR Tennoji Station, JR Song, and this video shot at Tin's Hall which will be visited during the final Loop Line episode, which I'm guessing will either be Loop Line #6 or 7.

Tags: NFTOS, Alex Brooke, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, JR, Loop Line, cycling, train, bicycle, cycling, ciclismo, cyclisme, radsport, Fukushima, Umeda, Tenma, Osaka, Japan, 電車, 自転車, 大阪, 日本, �島, 梅田, 天満, サイクリング

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Alex brings us the news from his tub yet manages to stay prim and proper like the English gentleman he is.

Posted by Rob.

My buddy Daryle in D.C. has quite an impressive collection of old funk and soul records, and after honing his skills for quite sometime now, he's finally getting a shot at the 18th Street Lounge (ESL Records / Thievery Corporation ring a bell?) this Saturday night! I've been trying to get him over here to Japan for a visit and a few gigs, so please give DJ D-Mac your own personal invitation! Here's a mix for ya! Promophobia Vol. 1. Posted by Rob.

For all the fuss and noise these guys like to make, they sure are sensitive about being filmed by strangers. Aparently, it's OK for the cops and for TV cameras to film them. Also, they had cameras of their own, so I'm probably on one of their websites somewhere. Anyway, a few of them got out of their vehicles to properly welcome me to Tokyo. Unfortunately, I had just turned the camera off, so I missed the most touching moments of cultural exchange...

Posted by Rob.

On Tuesday Beb, Alex and Rob recorded some video & mp3 podcast programs for their various projects that will be appearing during the next few days. Stay tuned! BEB, BEB's mixi, BEB & Alex, BEB & Alex mixi, Learn Japanese (i日本語), Learn Japanese (i日本語) mixi

Advanced students of Japanese and fans of Beb can hear her first solo podcast on Beb and Alex. Seemingly she liked episode 9 so much she recorded it again ! Beb is a prolific composer and you might be interested to check out her music blog here.

�ャルズ�ら見�中国�ビデオ��。���。 A glimpse of China through Charles Billard's lens accompanied by seven-string harp. Listen to a bunch of his original music over in the music folder or watch his other videos in this folder or in the music video folder. To see his more humorous side, I recommend watching Icitte les Oeufs. Posted by Rob.

Rob addresses the lazy artists of Osaka and responds to an email from a viewer.  This was a video by Makiko that was taken down before too many people saw it.  Part of the process of trial and error.

Posted by Rob.

Charles is from Quebec. He lives in Nakatsu in the northern part of downtown Osaka. People from Quebec have a unique perspective of everything. �ャルス�ケベック出身��。大阪�北区��る中津��ん���。ケベック人�ユーニック�考�方�人����。

This is stage three of the JR Loop Line tour, which actually takes a slight detour outside the actual loop and into Rob's old neighborhood of Fukushima-ku (in the western part of downtown Osaka). Please enjoy!

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Alex Brooke, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Osaka, JR Loop Line, Japan, cycling, bicycle, ciclismo, velo, Fukushima, Noda, Shinbashi shotengai, Nodahanshin Station

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Wes gave us the low down on some upcoming DJ events and parties for February and March. 1) 26 Feb, Tropicana @ Bar Zerro in Shinsaibashi DJs, tropical drinks and Fusion Tapas (last Sunday of every month). 2) 4 March, Dan's birthday @ Oasis in Miyakojima. 3) 11 March, Reelin' for the Feelin' @ Oasis with DJs Wes, Jules, Ange and more... Also, check out his interview on the Japanese proficiency test. That'll be posted this Friday on Learn Japanese. Photo by James - Bike Club Osaka.

ã?„ã‚?ã?„ã‚?ã??ã? ã‚‰ã?ªã?„話ã?Œå¥½ã??ã?ªã?®ã?§ã‚¢ãƒ¬ãƒƒã‚¯ã‚¹ã?¨Bebã?¡ã‚ƒã‚“ã?ŒThe Beb and Alex Show ã?¨ã?„ã?†podcastを作ã?£ã?Ÿã€‚上級日本語を勉強ã?™ã‚‹äººã?§ã‚‚日本人ã?§ã‚‚è?žã?„ã?¦ã??ã‚Œã?¦ã?†ã‚Œã?—ã?„ã?§ã?™ã€‚アレックスã?®ä¸‹æ‰‹ã?ªæ—¥æœ¬èªžã‚„Bebã?®sexy声をè?žã??ã?Ÿã?„ã?ªã‚‰æœ€æ–°ã?®podcastを是é?žè?žã?„ã?¦ã??ã? ã?•ã?„。 ã?“ã?¡ã‚‰ For you advanced listeners, Beb and I are doing another podcast called The Beb and Alex Show. It's a collection of music, interviews and us talking about everything and nothing done entirely in Japanese. It's done in quite a free and easy way and just for fun. Check out the latest show here! Post by Alex.

This is definitely the event we would be at if we were in Osaka this weekend! Check out the [re]Garb event tonight at Cafe Garb
DATE: 2006/02/11(sat)
DOOR OPEN: Midnight-late
ADV: 1,500yen+1drink?
ADM: 2,000yen+1drink?
AT: cafe GARB
add: 4-4-7 Bakuro-machi Chuo-ku Osaka Japan.
tel: 06-6258-3341 Since this event doesn't start till midnight, the obvious warm-up would be "The Drum, The N and The Bass" at Zerro. See Bike Club Osaka's events calendar for more info. Y'all go out and have a good one now, you hear!

Our banner art was created by Okha Ryu (a.k.a. "Flying Koala") of Seoul, Korea, who has been a member of the News From The Other Side art & culture crew since 2001! Apparently, this banner is just a rough draft, and she says the real thing will be ready soon. Okha has participated with me (Rob) in several art shows in Osaka and she organized the first NFTOS art show in Seoul in 2004. Besides being a clever artist, she seems to speak Japanese better and better each time she comes to Osaka for a visit. You can see and hear her for yourself in the "What's your favorite Japanese Word?" podcast or check out her web community at Recently Okha .

Find out the strange words rattling around people's brains in Kansai. 一番好ã??ã?ªè¨€è‘‰ã?¯ã?ªã‚“ã?§ã?—ょã?†ï¼Ÿã?“ã?®è³ªå•?を関西ã?®äººã?«è?žã??ã?¾ã?—ã?Ÿã€‚ã?©ã?†ã?žï¼?

(update 2/13) A bunch of us went to Basement Bar in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, to catch Osaka band Argyle in action. They were playing at two different venues on Saturday, and we went to the earlier of the two shows. They were traveling with a new drummer who played most of the songs with sheet music, except for the encore which he had to improvise. He did pretty well for himself, and we all agreed that they rocked! Argyle's next gig will be March 20th at the Barbes Anniversary Party held in Club Noon, Umeda. Check out Argyle's website for more upcoming events.

Sorry kids, we had technical difficulties ! Here is the promo for Flo Union @ The Pink Cow.

The cool and funky David and Tomoko are helping to make it happen, so check it out !

��ん����技術的��題��迷惑を�������。今度The Pink Cow�行�れ るFlo Union�����告知��。cool�funky�David�Tomoko��注目を�

Posted by Alex.

Stage two: Our heros Alex and Rob continue their excellent adventure from Taisho Station clockwise towards Bentencho and onward!

Here's an informative little link on the Osaka JR Loop Line and don't forget to check out i日本語 if you're a scholar of the Japanese language!

Tags: NFTOS, JR, Loop Line, Osaka, Japan, cycling, bicycle, ciclismo, velo, bicicleta, cyclisme, radsport, Taisho, Bentencho, Nishi-Kujo, station, train, 電車, 自転車, 環状線, 大阪, 日本, �天町, 大正, 西��, 駅

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Here's a short fun video of a night out in Panorama. This was taken on a mobile phone so the sound quality isn't so good. パノラマã?®æ¥½ã?—ã?„夜ã?®videoã?§ã?™ã€‚ã?©ã?†ã?žã€‚(æ?ºå¸¯ã?®videoã? ã?‹ã‚‰éŸ³è³ªã?Œã?‚ã‚“ã?¾ã‚Šã‚ˆã??ã?ªã?„。）Chika Yoshii's homepage

Alex and Rob set off on their excellent JR Osaka Loop Line bicycle adventure at 1:59 pm., on 15 November 2005, at the corner of Shin-Naniwa suji and Amidaike suji, in front of Ashiharabashi Station. This segment will take you from Ashiharabashi Station to Taisho Station. Along the way you will cross the Nankai Line, see one of Osaka's many canals ("Osaka, the Venice of the East"), stop outside Discobeans (which was closed), learn how to operate a beer vending machine, hear the grating noises of pachinko, sample sata andagi outside Ichariba, witness total distruction just across the street, gaze upon the saintly face of Junichiro Koizumi, hear about okama hostesses downstairs from Pierot and be serenaded by the lovely music played by Osaka's pink garbage trucks!

All this before the first station on our first of eight segments! Stay tuned for more adventures...

Enjoy!

Edited by Alex.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Alex Brooke, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Osaka, JR Loop Line, Japan, cycling, bicycle, ciclismo, velo, cyclisme, Ashiharabashi, Taisho Station, Ichariba, sata andagi, 大阪, 芦原橋, 大正, ��ゃり�

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We love Disco Beans. Only the best food, music and art. check it out. ã‚„ã?£ã?±ã‚ŠDisco beansã?Œå¤§å¥½ã??。音楽も芸術も食ã?¹ç‰©ã?¯ã?™ã?°ã‚‰ã?—ã?„ã?§ã?™ã€‚ 〒551-0002 大阪市大正区三軒家æ?±1-13-7 1-13-7 Sangenya-Higashi,Taisho-ku, Osaka-shi Tel : 06-6553-8890 e-mail : info@discobeans.com JR/地下鉄『大正駅ã€?より徒歩５分。 大正通りをå?—ã?«ä¸‹ã‚Šã€?三軒家ã?®äº¤å·®ç‚¹ã‚’左折ã?—æ?±ã?¸100m。 5 minutes walk from JR & SUBWAY Taisho station Head south down Taisho dori. Turn left at Sangenya intersection and walk 100m.

Alex and Rob chillin' at Café Barbès back in the day, before it moved from Minami Horie to Higobashi, near Utsubo Park. We order cous cous and mutton burgers, and pass on the ika (squid). I tried to recall the lyrics of King Missile's My Heart is a Flower and managed only part of them, which sounded quite un-poetic coming from my mouth, I admit..

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Café Barbès, Alex Brooke, Rob, El Gringo, Minami Horie, Osaka, Couscous, King Missile, poetry, poem, mutton, lamb, hamburger, squid, ika, ��, �堀江, 大阪, �ルベス

This is a 24 hour timelapse movie of Alex trying to clean the uncleanable apartment. If you have any cool, weird or wacky video you want to get seen, send it along to us. アレックスã?®éƒ¨å±‹ã?®æŽƒé™¤ã?®videoã?§ã?™ã€‚ã?‹ã?ªã‚Šã??ã?Ÿã?ªã?„ã?ªï¼?ã‚‚ã?—ã?Šã‚‚ã?—ã‚?ã?„videoã?Œã?‚ã‚Œã?°æ˜¯é?žé€?ã?£ã?¦ã??ã? ã?•ã?„。ã?“ã?“ã?§ä¹—ã?›ã?¾ã?™ï¼?よã‚?ã?—ã??。Posted by Alex.

A huge shout out to Nori, Danyk and Ivan at Tin's Hall ! Thanks for letting us film you guys ! 是é?žTin's Hallã?«è¡Œã?£ã?¦è¦‹ã?¦ã??ã? ã?•ã?„。サファーã?®ä¸–ç•Œã?Œå¾…ã?£ã?¦ã?¾ã?™ã€‚When you're done watching this video, check out Will Spin's new D'n'B song using samples from nearby Tennoji Station: JR Song.

This is the already famous famous ALT rap with well over 5000 downloads on podcasts like Learn Japanese. æ—¢ã?«æœ‰å??ã?«ã?ªã?£ã?ŸALT rapを楽ã?—ã‚“ã?§ã??ã? ã?•ã?„。4ï¼?ï¼?ï¼?ヒットを超ã?ˆã?¦ã€?英語教師ã?®ç”Ÿæ´»ã?«ã?¤ã?„ã?¦ã?®çˆ†ç¬‘ã?•ã?›ã‚‹video。 Link to all versions of the ALT Rap on MySpace. Posted by Rob.

Introduction: This podcast is a collaboration which started out as an MSN Community by the same name sometime back in 2001. Roberto El Gringo (also known by numerous other aliases) had just returned from a trip to New Zealand, where he'd visited his JET Programme buddy Andrew in Auckland, and where he'd met several others who would later end up in the NFTOS mix.

New Year's Eve 2000 Rob met Okha on a bus from Greymouth bound for Queenstown, South Island. Okha was keeping a journal full of vivid colors mysterious hangul writing. They both promised to keep in touch, and also agreed to start painting when they got home to Japan and Korea. They encouraged each other by posting new artwork on NFTOS, and this exchange eventually led to joint art shows in Osaka, Seoul and Tokyo. It also took Rob to Korea 4 times and Okha to Osaka and Tokyo countless times!

FFWD to 2009, and another art show is in the works for this May at The Pink Cow in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Image by Okha (a.k.a. flying koala), video by Alex Brooke.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Osaka, Japan, Seoul, Korea, art, events, blog, podcast, video