"Wow...what an experience!"

That's really the only thing that everyone can agree on: Japan will sure be...something...that happens to us. Yep. Really, what else can you say to somebody about to move to Japan? No matter how well-intentioned, most people take on that same brief look, a glaze forming over their eyes as they quickly think of anime and cosplay, chopsticks and karate, sumo wrestling and WWII. "That's going to be so interesting/amazing" is another fairly popular comment: vaguely positive, yet containing no information.

Truth be told, neither Jenn nor I have any better idea of what's going to happen within the next few years. Beyond the extra-long flight over the Pacific, all that I can visualize is a big white blur (populated by half-formed images gleaned from Lost in Translation and other less-nuanced nuggets of pop culture, some involving tentacles). The only decent analogy I've been able to come up with involves a barrel, a waterfall, and insufficient werewithal to nail ourselves into the former before we go over the latter.

It is with this in mind that we've started this blog: we are cultural ambassadors, and it's our duty as such to report our travels in the exotic land of Japan to our friends and neighbors; we are lonely gaijin hoping to keep in touch with said friends and neighbors; also, we are motherfuckin' rock stars, and would like to be Internet Famous, please.

If you're unfamiliar with blogs, blogging, bloggage, and other blogtivities, worry not, this is my first time, too. Basically, 1. we post, 2. you read it, 3. you comment on what you read, 4. profit (TBD). The two of us will be posting as often as we can, giving the folks back home on the Internet a double dose of pointed cultural analysis, hilarious travel anecdotes, photojournalism, and assorted hoo-ha. We are not scholars of Japan, nor are we professional journalists; we are just a Dude and a Lady with a great deal of snark and one working laptop between them.

Here's the breakdown...this is Harry (ain't he cute?):

This is Jenn in her wedding dress:

This is what it looks like in the place where we're going to live and teach English for the next year or more:

Hilarity ensues.