jiji94

If it makes you feel any better, once someone asked me out and I had a full blown panic attack right there and then....
Fun times

go off sis get that shmoney i believe in U

Great, I started listening to this song ironically and now can't stop. My sister won't let me play it in the car.

Plastic Tree is the only Japanese band I remember the exact day I became a fan of them (October 31st 2009, I have no sweet clue how I found them on Halloween but it's fitting). Ryuu's been my style icon since then and I don't even know how much to express my undying love for this band even when I go through very long periods of not listening to them. They're also the only Japanese band I own multiple albums and live DVDs. I'd really love to see them perform live someday, it's too bad they're one of the bands none of my Japanese friends into rock music know of. I subsequently got into The Cure and Radiohead after listening to Pura a lot (before I got into J-rock I was mostly solely listening to classical music because.. idk). Pura's one of the few bands I don't love their entire discography and can't stand some of their eras but that I love to pieces anyway.
 
Anyway, my fave songs:
 
Sangatsu Itsuka 「3月5日」- My friend "accidentally" played this song on her poppy radio show once because I jokingly recommended she play it. Oops.. Always super loved this song, even when I stopped listening to them for years I'd come back to it.
 
Sanatorium サナトリウム - Now. This.... is a really, really special song and PV to me. 16-year-old me actually wrote a huge 450 page manuscript... based around this song's lyrics. It's one of the craziest, most asinine things I've ever done but that story has stuck with me and made me genuinely want to pursue writing and an English degree (which I have). I love this song so much I don't even know why?? To the point I wrote a novel.. which I named after a song by The Cure. 
 
Kuuchuu Buranko 空中ブランコ - I DID A PRESENTATION ON THIS SONG? WHY?? For one of my final music class projects in high school, I presented on J-rock and Plastic Tree. I chose their performance of this song from their Budokan concert in 2009. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to choose Bucchi's or Kenken's performances (I really like both as drummers) but chose this one because this entire concert was so mesmerizing.
 
雨中遊泳 - I haven't liked any of their newer songs until this one came out. Although l o l you suck, Victor (seriously this label drives me.. I'm glad Sakanaction seems to be under another label now and that I've never had to deal with them shortening their music videos because Victor makes me want to throw hands at what they do to Pura and other bands). Not one of my faves really but I do love it and Pura with any sort of water/rain theme makes my heart happy.
 
Ame ni Utaeba 雨ニ唄エバ - This is one of my faves, especially for walks and riding my bike along the seaside for some reason. 
 
Also really love Consent and anything related to Dona Dona! I'm surprised I don't have that album, or do I.. I'd post links but I don't know how to do hidden content.

It's been a little too quiet here! Since this year marks the 20th anniversary of Plastic Tree's major debut let's share and talk about all of our favorite songs! With what they've been doing to commemorate their anniversary, such as performing older songs and basically recreating old school pura I'm sure all of our memories are overflowing like crazy, especially for longer-termed fans. So let's reflect back and share a few favorites. What do the songs mean to you and were there any special memories attached to them? Or maybe it was the first pura song you fell in love with? Fangirl all you want. Since they have a huge discography maybe you can shed some light on a few songs as well.
 
I have a ton of favorites and will probably keep on posting here, but here's a few to start with:
 
絶望の丘 (Zetsubou no Oka) - This was probably the first song of theirs I fell in love with. I just really loved the bass lines and decided that I'd learn it someday so I listened to the hell out of it. (still haven't learned it but oh well...) And of course, I love Ryutaro's sweet child-like voice.
 
ぬけがら (Nukegara) - Another one of my early favorites. The chorus really got me and reading the lyrics made my heart ache. In the chorus the lines say "If these aren’t your true feelings, then don’t do any of these things anymore". Just a bittersweet song about a sad breakup. There's a neat guitar solo from Akira too.
 
藍より青く (Ai Yori Aoku) - This one is a B-side from their single 真っ赤な糸 (Makka na Ito) and was one of my first songs. It gives me all those nostalgic summer feels and brings me back to those times when I first got into Plastic Tree (and vk in general). The guitars are relaxing and it's very nice to listen to.
 
最終電車 (Saishuu Densha) - I loved this song so much back then I wanted to animate an mv for it lol. And I actually gave an attempt and made a tiny gif (with my noob animation skills) back in 2010. xD.....ahh those times when I had too much time on my hands lol. The song gives off a very bittersweet feeling and I imagined that the story would be illustrated in a cute chibi look with a somber night setting. Also, I drew Ryutaro from one of my favorite photoshoots of him. Wonder if anyone here would recognize it.....? I guess it's a little hard to tell though.
 
Okay, that's enough fangirling from me. I'll leave room for you guys to share your favorites~ ^^

I haven't listened to as much Plastic Tree as I'd like to, but my two favourite songs come from the same  release ' Dona Dona'.
 
ガガジ　(Gagaji)
The thing that always got to me with this song is the bass line. I also love how distant the vocals sound. It's like a feverish dream.
 
 

1999 - From the first second of this song I already get so much nostalgia. For some reason I really miss the early 2000's. Probably 'coz I was a kid at that time, but also because things seemed a lot simpler then. This song really gets to me in that regard, with that playful and naive guitar at the start and Ryuutaro's soft singing. Also in the lyrics I get a sense of confusion and maybe hopelessness that a lot of people felt at the turn of the century, with technology and science evolving rapidly and rumours of the end of world that was to come with the year 2000 floating around. (this isn't the best translation, but it will do )
 
 
Consent  - First of all, I love the PV. I think it was the first time I had seen Plastic Tree in action. It gives me vibes from the 90's when music videos had really bad cgi. It's a really fun song and it makes me want to dance. Okay, I've decided I like Plastic Tree best when they have more of an electro sound. 
 
Planetarium -  This song breaks my heart. It was one of the first songs that I came across from the band. I've only seen the live version from the link below and I come back to it every time because it's such a beautiful and perfect performance. I can't describe it, it just gives me goosebumps and a heavy heart.
 
 
 

Awww man, Dona Dona was such a good album and 1999 was one of my favorites from it too! I like how soft the song feels, but the lyrics are rather bitter and there's a slight tinge of pain from Ryutaro's singing.
 
For some reason Planetarium gets buried in the back and I seem to forget that it exists until it comes up on shuffle. Dx It's such a good song though. I need to give it more listens~! Really love the way Ryutaro sings here.

What the actual hell? I got my ER bill today, and the room I stayed in for 2 hours AT MAX cost $900... really?? The actual bill for the doctor only cost $183, but the room I was in, and didn't even use all the equipment in there, was $900?? 
The whole bill came out to be $2,613 because I had a CT scan done on my head, which cost $1,523. THANK GOD IM ON MY DAD'S INSURANCE.... now I only owe $150... I'm one of the more lucky people.

Just to revive this topic a little, because I know a lot of overseas gya go this route (I did lol)
 
- JET has the best pay and is the most stable, but they will literally send you anywhere so if you're stuck in, say, Kumamoto or something, you're probably not gonna get to see many lives. It also has a 5-year limit. If you have decent Japanese skills, apply for a CIR position instead of teaching. Much less competition, so more chance of being accepted, and it will look better on your resume.
 
- Dispatch teaching jobs are easier to get than JET and may offer you slightly better placement than JET. If not, after about 1-2 years of teaching in whatever location you do get, they'll usually let you transfer to a Tokyo or a bigger city position if they have a branch or contract there. However, you take more risk with pay, benefits, and shadiness than JET.
 
- Eikaiwa jobs are easier to find around major cities. They usually pay more than dispatch, but offer the same risks.
 
-If you can tough out teaching for at least 5 years and have good connections with the local expat/Japanese community, often you can score a direct hire teaching job with a school district. This is generally the biggest win-win.
 
- If you come without a visa around early Jan-early Feb and are good about hunting down open positions, it's probably easier to get a teaching job in person. That would still give the employer ample time to get your visa processed for the upcoming Japanese school year in April. That said, you would need to be staying in country the whole time and take a trip to Korea at some point to finalize the visa process (cannot be issued in-country the first time), and this could cost a lot of money if you don't have someone to stay with.
 
- I second not working without a visa or while it is being processed. Not only is it illegal, but you run the risk of your boss holding the visa over your head and taking advantage of the situation to make you do uncompensated overtime or something else undesirable for it.
 
As far as which one is "better", that will also depend on you. All of these options will have pros and cons, and it is rare you will find a "good" teaching job your first year or even couple of years into teaching. The market is generally always over saturated and there are too many employers that take advantage of this.
 
Teaching at a regular school often has the best hours (especially if your main goal is to attend lives) and requires less of you, but the English education system here is so lacking you might feel really unhappy from a "purpose" perspective or never see any real improvement in the kids you teach. On the other hand, with eikaiwa you will see more improvement in your students, but balancing the business side of things can be tough and demanding, and you may be busier or have to work more events than at a regular school.
 
Whatever you do, decide your goals early on and stick with them. If you are planning to learn Japanese and get into something else as soon as possible, do that. If you like teaching, get certified and work on your skills so you can get those better positions down the road. The JET/dispatch/eikaiwa thing will burn you out and become a career dead end if you let it.

Hoping to order a vintage camera soon to take photos of my neighbours' horses before the cold weather sets in. They have the whole yard fenced up now so the horses can roam free. It's so picturesque driving home after work and seeing them grazing near my driveway. They also have the cutest mini shibas that wear little colourful scarves around their necks. They've really turned their home into a fairytale-like scene. 
 
 

This might be unpopular; but I really really really really like the Pillows. Even their newer stuff, not just the old stuff I have some nostalgia for. They were the first band that got me into J-Rock (through FLCL, obv) and I've never really stopped listening to them since then.
 
Perhaps a big part of my love for them is because of nostalgia, because whenever I hear their music I get feelings of longing for days gone by.

Plastic Tree has announced that their major debut 20th Anniversary DVD, "1997.09.15" (6500 yen, 120 min) will be released in October. Footage will feature the band's reproduction of their major debut performance at their live on June 25, 2017 at YOKOHAMA Bay Hall.
 
Songs featured:
痛い青 (itai ao)
本当の嘘 (hontou no uso)
twice
割れた窓 (wareta mado)
クローゼットチャイルド (closet child)
スノーフラワー (snowflower)
銀ノ針 (gin no hari)
リラの樹 (rira no ki)
まひるの月 (mahiru no tsuki)
水葬。 (suiso.)
トランスオレンジ (trance orange)
アブストラクトマイライフ (abstract my life)
ねじまきノイローゼ (nejimaki noiroze)
エンジェルダスト (angel dust)
エーテルノート (ether note)
鳴り響く、鐘 (narihibiku, kane)
psycho garden
クリーム (cream)
サーカス (circus)
 
http://plastic-tree-special.com/114/

why da fuck dis was in my recommendations?! xD
 
 

Fuck yeah. I also like how they're getting more 'visual' even though they've been around for a hundred years. Nun Uruha ? It's better than I could have imagined.  Will 2018 be the year of Visual nun Kei? 
Ruki's giving me vibes from the Cockroach period, except with triple the budget. 
 
I'm really hyped and hope it's even more solid than dogma. 

I have long since stopped trying to understand my musical taste. I have now gone from Finnish parody of Mulan's 'Make the man out of you' to 'We are number one but it's in Japanese' (which is, incidentally, done by a Finnish lady) to Touhou Project's 'Bad Apple' and honestly, all of them sound good to me. I mean... I guess there's a logical transition between all three, but still.

last night on a whim i decided to study for a boating license. breezed through the material today, just took the test and now i have a boating license. lol sweet

It's hard for me to imagine because I got into Japanese music at such a young age/first was allowed to use the internet. lol As a kid, I was mostly obsessed with classical music because I was a mini hipster.
 
Probably a mix of 80s/90s music, although I don't know if I would've gotten into some of the bands and musicians I like (The Cure specifically) had it not been for J-rock bands. Maybe Mandopop and Cantopop. Had I known how much I'd get addicted to the latter..
 
I think jazz music too.

Y'all can call me Jae or Shi, I haven't used forums in forever so nicknames are a little odd. I'm 23, from middle of nowhere Canada. Found this forum randomly while looking up stuff on visual kei bands on and off over the past few years. I've been a  filthy casual fan since about 2007 but stopped listening to most vk bands in 2011 (Isshi's death was mad hard on me, yo). I got back into Japanese music in 2013 but have been corrupted by a lot of the new indie/alternative rock bands so mainly listen to stuff like Sakanaction and Suchmos but also am a huge PTP fan. I'm obsessed with Susumu Hirasawa and he is ruining my life. I've worked a lot with Japanese exchange students and my interest in a wide variety of music has helped them to really connect with me.  I hate most J-pop with a passion though, much to their dismay.
 
Bands I've liked/loved a lot are BUCK-TICK, X, Plastic Tree, Malice Mizer, Kagrra. I still listen to all these bands almost daily. I don't know crap about new bands or anything really past 2011 but after talking with a Japanese student who likes many of the newer bands I thought I should try getting back into vk.

Oh my god, was so not expecting someone to say they did their thesis on girl' love manga and media. I didn't do a thesis for my undergrad but during my final seminar class for my gender studies minor my prof focused the semester on queer theory and let us choose our own topics for our final project. I immediately thought it would be interesting to do mine on BL because I knew my classmates had no idea what it was (and my prof was like "yassss"). Turns out I'm now obsessed with anything to do with that field and would do anything to pursue it further.
 
My student debt's a bit more complicated since my parents had me take out bank loans to pay most of my education. So even when I go back I still need to make monthly payments on the majority of my debt. :/  I also struggled so much during my undergrad (tough university + extreme burn out).
 
Cleaning. Is. GREAT. I haven't done it myself (long-term, short-term I have worked as a janitor and room attendant) but honestly it was what I wanted to do before everyone jumped on me to go to university. Everyone I know who has worked cleaning jobs loved them and often end up moving up jobs too or working front desk. Can be a really great way of meeting people and networking too.

Y'all can call me Jae or Shi, I haven't used forums in forever so nicknames are a little odd. I'm 23, from middle of nowhere Canada. Found this forum randomly while looking up stuff on visual kei bands on and off over the past few years. I've been a  filthy casual fan since about 2007 but stopped listening to most vk bands in 2011 (Isshi's death was mad hard on me, yo). I got back into Japanese music in 2013 but have been corrupted by a lot of the new indie/alternative rock bands so mainly listen to stuff like Sakanaction and Suchmos but also am a huge PTP fan. I'm obsessed with Susumu Hirasawa and he is ruining my life. I've worked a lot with Japanese exchange students and my interest in a wide variety of music has helped them to really connect with me.  I hate most J-pop with a passion though, much to their dismay.
 
Bands I've liked/loved a lot are BUCK-TICK, X, Plastic Tree, Malice Mizer, Kagrra. I still listen to all these bands almost daily. I don't know crap about new bands or anything really past 2011 but after talking with a Japanese student who likes many of the newer bands I thought I should try getting back into vk.

Oh my god, was so not expecting someone to say they did their thesis on girl' love manga and media. I didn't do a thesis for my undergrad but during my final seminar class for my gender studies minor my prof focused the semester on queer theory and let us choose our own topics for our final project. I immediately thought it would be interesting to do mine on BL because I knew my classmates had no idea what it was (and my prof was like "yassss"). Turns out I'm now obsessed with anything to do with that field and would do anything to pursue it further.
 
My student debt's a bit more complicated since my parents had me take out bank loans to pay most of my education. So even when I go back I still need to make monthly payments on the majority of my debt. :/  I also struggled so much during my undergrad (tough university + extreme burn out).
 
Cleaning. Is. GREAT. I haven't done it myself (long-term, short-term I have worked as a janitor and room attendant) but honestly it was what I wanted to do before everyone jumped on me to go to university. Everyone I know who has worked cleaning jobs loved them and often end up moving up jobs too or working front desk. Can be a really great way of meeting people and networking too.

I tried to get my best friend to play deadman on her radio show a week ago when there was a hipster music festival going on in her town. lol
 
I actually can't remember how old I was when I got into this band or why I did. I know it was during either middle or high school and I don't know if I was going through a dark phase or not. But I've always really, really loved them and only started listening to them again recently. I was too young to know of deadman before they disbanded. I know that it was probably whenever I got super into 9GOATS BLACK OUT and Guniw Tools for some reason.