It's just about time for some Humor....

In honor of Thanksgiving... I wanted to write a blog about all the things that make me laugh in Japan. I have seen and heard some strange things over my 11 months here so far and I wanted to share a few of them with you.

On a side note, obviously, we don't have thanksgiving in Jap

an. The really strange part is that despite the fact that people here eat raw horse meat, whale, raw chicken, and numerous other intense foods, they look at me like I am crazy when I ask them why I can't get any kind of turkey here. Like turkey is really so exotic. Haha. They love chicken- but a l

arger bird-the turkey- must seem like an alien bird... beats me. Picture to th

e left that is me eating basashi- raw horse meat.

The above photo is me posing with a statue that is supposed to be Our President. Haha. It looks nothing like him and he is wearing a headband that says I Love Obama. If you see the flag pictured to my right you can see the horrible drawing they have of him. Now here is the funny part, this is in Obama Cit

y, Japan! That's right... there is an Obama City here and it's residents not only love Obama (as do most Japanese People), but they are proud

to have a leader that represents change that has the same name as their city. Plus, it is a nice boost to the tourist industry here. Besides this statue, there isn't a whole lot here.

The next thing on my list isn't just this little fur-ball; but the many fur-ball-like characters that exist all over Japan. There are so many characters! T

his little guy is the representation for Awaji Island. He has a car on his head.. probably something to do with the highways and bridges, but he looks like a giant Yellow tooth man. I love to pose with strange things.

Next on the List; Bad English! I love seeing bad English. You know the kind I am talking about. It seems like they just put what they wanted

to say in Japanese into a cheap computer translator that used similar words and attempted to make numerous grammar changes, but just ended up with a pile of mumbo jumbo. Usually, I am able to decipher these incredibly challenging puzzles to figure out what the author was trying to say in English, but failed miserably at.

But this sign, found on a vending machine at Nijo-jo in Kyoto, is impossible. I can't even read it without going into a laughing fit... to me, it is just that funny. I mean, seriously, there are foreigners on every corner, especially in Kyoto, plu

s you have so many University Students that are English majors or have studied abroad. How long does it take to say, " Hey, can you read these two or three sentences for me? I don't want to look like a jackass". Haha. Keep up the bad English Japan, it keeps me happy if I am feeling blue.

Wow... I don't even really know where to start with this one. I love this because it is a constant source of entertainment for me. Experimental Food Choices. Every month or so it seems that every single restaurant, fast food chain, and convenience store just jumps on the bandwagon and has a 'special' seasonal food or drink to taste. Right now there are two strange types of Pepsi products; the first being Azuki Pepsi. Azuki is sweet bean paste. Yes, you read correctly... there is a pink Pepsi in Japan that tastes like sweet beans. I hope it is short lived. The other flavor is Shiso. Shiso is a plant that people have with sushi and some other traditional Japanese foods. It tastes like a plant, not lettuce. The Pepsi is green. Needless to say I have never seen anyone drink either of these Pepsi products. The photo above is from a fast food place. McDonald's has the Ebi Fillet, which is a patty of small shrimp formed together and deep fried, served on a bun with mayo and lettuce, but this Tako Burger takes the cake. Tako is octopus. Yes, that is an octopus patty fried with tons of Mayo. I think the little tentacles give it away.

Looking at it makes me curious, but also makes me feel like I am going to be sick all at the same time. I think the strangest craze for the month I tried was a tamago double mac at McDonalds. It has a McMuffin egg on a double BiG Mac. Needless to say I didn't eat all of it. I prefer to try caramel, wasabi beef, and teriyaki chicken flavored potato chips as they are released.

I have many more funny things that I will periodically add to this blog. I think that these are really the joys in life so I must send them for you all to see. Keep in touch and keep reading!